PEDESTRIANISING Petersfield is back on the agenda after an informal survey revealed an appetite for banning traffic from The Square and High Street.

Opinions collected by Town Development Committee (TDC) members focused on making the town more attractive and user friendly, but without “urbanising“ it, or making it “vanilla” bland.

Compiled by Petersfield town councillor and committee member Paul Strawbridge, the feedback says that making The Square, and potentially the High Street, traffic free between 10am and 4pm should be looked at.

Unveiled at the TDC meeting last Friday (October 7) it also suggests that a full time traffic warden would help resolve parking issues.

It was agreed at the Festival Hall meeting that realising the town centre vision in the Petersfield Neighbourhood Plan was a “priority.”

Objectives include promoting walking and cycling in town, eliminating illegal parking, and a ‘shared space’ concept allowing shoppers and vehicles to mingle safely.

Traffic speed could be reduced, perhaps to walking pace, so that pedestrians could move safely between the moving vehicles.

But the consultation revealed there was uncertainty about how it would work, and that children wouldn’t understand it and might be in danger of being run over.

These concerns resulted in the view that a pedestrianised Square and High Street may be a safer option.

Other suggestions included making the town one way for traffic, and closing the High Street and Square to traffic at weekends.

East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) owns The Square, and the council’s head of planning has been asked to arrange a meeting of those who sponsored the neighbourhood plan to move the ‘vision’ project forward.

As well as EHDC officers and development committee members, South Downs National Park Authority and Hampshire County Council representatives will be invited to attend.

The committee heard that the informal consultation was a “good initial step in the right direction.”

Now, a formal survey has been suggested that will include everyone who uses the town; shoppers, market stall holders, businesses, residents and visitors.

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