U-turn sets pathway for Devizes Green lights (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

U-turn sets pathway for Devizes Green lights

6:00pm Thursday 7th March 2013 in News

Devizes Town Council has agreed to allow lighting to be installed on the footpath on The Green after overwhelming public support.

The footpath will be widened and become a shared walkway and cycle path and Wiltshire Council told the town council it wanted lampposts to be installed to improve visibility.

The town council, which owns The Green, has in the past been against lighting it, but following consultation a majority of councillors on the planning committee decided on Tuesday to allow it.

The committee was told that 162 responses in favour of lighting had been received while 14 people had objected.

Coun Margaret Taylor was previously against lighting but said she had changed her mind. She said: “I think the county council is doing its best to get people out of cars and cycling and I think we should support it.”

Coun Ian Hopkins said people who had lobbied him were against lighting because they wanted the The Green to be without ‘obtrusive urban furniture’.

The committee voted 10-6 in favour of lighting.