Kegworth Public Realm

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this being done – what are the benefits? The main reason for this project is to reclaim the centre of Kegworth for people and reduce the dominance of the traffic. At the moment, Market Place itself and the road in front means the space is crowded by vehicles. The intention is to redress the balance, by creating an attractive area people want to visit and spend time in. We’ll also have a wonderful location for community events, as a focal point for village life and culture. The resulting increased footfall will benefit local businesses.

Traffic calming will make the main road through the village safer, reduce noise and improve air quality. Initial design and feasibility studies are within the budget for this project, although sone additional funding may be needed to implement some measures.

Cycling for work and leisure will also be encouraged – with potential environmental and health benefits for local people.

Why can’t we keep Market Place for parking? The vision is to create a major asset for the community for many years to come. It’s important to stress the and Enterprise Partnership funding which is making this project possible is explicitly intended to improve the public realm. It entails creating a dedicated public space for pedestrians, events and activities. This is not compatible with Market Place continuing as a car park. Using key open space like this for parking is out-dated.

However, as part of the scheme, there will be nine parking spaces on Market Place and priority will be given to people with blue badges or with young children. In addition, a Parish Council survey has shown that there are over 150 other on-street and car park spaces within five minutes’ walk of Market Place, 75 of which are only one or two minutes away. Any existing time restrictions on remaining spaces near Market Place will continue. This will also help with the availability of spaces.

Market Place is the long-term responsibility of Kegworth Parish Council. If it remains as a car park, the parish would need to raise more money to meet maintenance costs. That could only be done through a rise in Council Tax or by introducing parking charges.

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Who’s paying for this? The total budget for this project is £1m. Half has been secured from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), following an application by North West Leicestershire District Council. The District Council is contributing £450,000 and Kegworth Parish Council £50,000.

This is in direct response to feedback to the Kegworth Parish Council’s consultation in 2018 when people said they didn’t want to fund any improvements from the parish’s precept (its part of the Council Tax). Alternative funding was sought from the LLEP, resulting in the overall £1m budget – which has exceeded original expectations. As a result, there will be no need to raise Council Tax bills to meet the cost of this project.

The conditions attached to the funding mean it must be spent on improving the public realm. There are financial consequences if this money isn’t spent, because Market Place is the long-term responsibility of Kegworth Parish Council. If it remains as a car park, the parish would need to raise funds to meet maintenance costs – either through a rise in Council Tax or by introducing parking charges.

Could this money be used in other ways? This money is for a specific purpose and comes with strings attached. It’s primarily intended to improve the public realm, (through the creation of open space for people to use), and by re-balancing road use through reducing the dominance of cars and supporting cycling. The overall aim is to future-proof Kegworth, by helping the village to prepare for changes in the way we live.

Why does this seem to have dragged on for so long? Thinking about the future of the village started in earnest in 2017, when Kegworth bypass was being built. A consultation by the Parish Council led to parking changes last year. Because people indicated they didn’t want to pay for any improvements, the District Council sought out a new source of funding, supported by Kegworth Parish Council. That funding wasn’t confirmed until July 2020, but the success of the bid created an opportunity to think bigger. Only at that point could detailed new plans be drawn up. It is those plans which are being shared with the people of Kegworth now. The intention is for the works to be completed by the end of 2021.

After the consultation and changes in 2017-19, it’s been quiet. Why? We couldn’t talk about the funding bid until we knew it was successful. We did share that news in July, since when we’ve been concentrating on drawing up detailed plans. It is those plans we’re sharing now.

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Why haven’t we had input into the plans before? Kegworth residents have had an opportunity to shape proposals through previous consultation. The feedback and evidence have been kept and taken into account. It wasn’t possible to start drawing up the new plans until we knew the necessary funding was in place. It’s taken until now to get the plans to a point where they can be shared – not least, because the nature and location of Market Place limit what’s possible. The project is also on a very tight schedule because the work needs to be completed in 2021. However, we have factored in this window of opportunity for you to comment: www.nwleics.gov.uk/Kegworth. This survey will be open from Wednesday 4 November until Tuesday 24 November.

Will the removal of parking from Market Place affect local shops and other businesses? A key aim of the project is to draw more people into the village centre, which will benefit local businesses. The new Market Place will have greenery and places to sit, as well as providing a venue for community events. We have taken parking concerns seriously, which is why the Parish Council has surveyed the number of places available. There are 150 parking spaces with five minutes’ walk and 75 of these are only one or two minutes away.

How has this been informed by the Parish Council consultation? The 2018 consultation by Kegworth Parish Council has already directly influenced what’s been done.

You said We did 69% don’t want to pay for village £1m of funding has been sought and improvements secured, so that extra money doesn’t have to be raised through Council Tax 61% asked for extra parking on 20 news spaces have already been Road created People asked for restricted parking to Two and four-hour parking limits have ensure spaces were not occupied by been introduced in Market Place and people using the airport nearby through an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order. These will remain. Make cycling easier Cycle rack planters have been installed in Market Place as a temporary measure, and bike parking is included in the new proposals. The project also includes plans to improve routes for cyclists to and from the village. Traffic should be slower to make roads Our proposals include new gateways to safer Kegworth to encourage safe driving. There is a desire to introduce other traffic calming measures when the funds are in place.

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We want nice places to sit The revised Market Place will include seating. Since the 2019 changes to Market We recognise mixing pedestrians and Place, there has been some concern cars in Market Place isn’t ideal. The about the parking layout. new plans address this. Some people want Market Place to be Unfortunately, this isn’t possible if we retained for car parking. want to create a safe public space. Our plans will provide nine car parking spaces and priority will be given to people who need accessible parking. The Parish Council has also conducted a survey identifying many parking opportunities close by. There are over 150 existing spaces within five minutes’ walk of Market Place, including 75 only 1-2 minutes away. We want to reclaim our village for All strands of the Kegworth project are people about achieving this by:

• Creating an attractive, safe Market Place not dominated by traffic • Improving the cycling network • Slowing traffic – starting with the installation of village gateways reminding drivers of speed limits, and in future by implementing traffic calming measures. We want to reduce traffic noise by See above calming vehicle speeds We want to create a place that is New gateways will welcome visitors to welcoming, attractive and economically Kegworth. Public realm improvements vibrant and new planting will enhance the attractiveness of Market Place and Kegworth. Research indicates such improvements have a positive economic impact on the economy by encouraging people to linger. We want to prioritise pedestrians by Pedestrians will be prioritised in the new creating more generous pavements and Market Place. Traffic into Kegworth will by making it easier and safer to cross be slowed during a Phase 2 traffic the downgraded highway, by slowing calming project proposed by Kegworth traffic Parish Council, subject to funding being secured. We want better, easier and more car Whilst car parking in Market Place is parking, whilst also tackling abuse of being reduced to achieve the other parking spaces (e.g. ‘park and fly’) desired outcomes (somewhere to sit,

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more greenery, creating a place that is welcoming and attractive), 20 new spaces have already been created on Derby Road. Over 150 on-street parking spaces have been identified within five minutes’ walk of Market Place. Time restrictions have been applied to discourage ‘park and fly’. We want more trees and greenery The Market Place plans make provision for this We want to create a better space for The intention is to create a designated relaxation and community events space for community events, as well as improved seating for relaxation. We want to create a comfortable waiting The bus shelter will be moved area for bus users, with stop and shelter next to each other We want to encourage cycling by Bike parking spaces have been providing convenient and safe places to provided in Market Place. This will still park bikes be the case following the planned changes.

What influence can we have over these plans? It’s important to stress that Kegworth residents and businesses have had an opportunity to shape proposals through previous consultation. That feedback and evidence has been kept and taken into account.

Conditions accompanying the funding mean the core elements of this project are well-established – the adoption of Market Place as a public space, traffic calming, cycling improvements etc. There are also limited opportunities to make changes if the funding is to be used by the end of March 2021, as required.

However, we are keen to hear your views. This is why we’re running a survey and pop-up events.

The proposed changes will also be the subject of a planning application early next year, providing another opportunity to comment.

How will Kegworth be safer? New gateways will be built at key entry points to the village, to encourage safer and slower driving – paving the way for further traffic calming, subject to securing additional future funding. We have listened to people’s concerns about the current parking layout in Market Place, and our plan will address those. Turning Market Place into more of a pedestrian area will make it much safer for people on foot.

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What other alterations will there be? There’ll be a number of changes which we hope people will welcome, including:

• Planters will introduce more greenery to Market Place • A passenger shelter will be provided at the southward Market Place bus stop • Seating will be provided as useful places for people to rest and chat – mothers with small children, older people, or friends who’ve arranged to meet.

How is this project helping cyclists? Around £200,000 of the overall project budget is allocated for cycling. The aim is to improve cycling routes from Kegworth, with links to existing networks. The routes will connect with local attractions, provide safe cycling for individuals, groups and families. They’ll also be available for people using wheelchairs or mobility scooters, and for running and walking.

The plan is also to explore how better cycling links can be created to local centres of employment, such as , Airport and . While not everyone will see the benefit of cycling to work, the aim is to create leisure and fitness opportunities for all.

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