Craster residents urged to give new traffic scheme a chance

Northumberland County Council is set to introduce restrictions including a ‘gateway’ where people will be prohibited from passing and driving further into the village unless it is to access their home or a business.

The flower tubs being used to help indicate the new road layout have received a mixed response.

Cllr Wendy Pattison, local county councillor, told a meeting of Craster Parish Council: “I think they will look much nicer once there is something in them.

"If this doesn’t work the tubs can be shoved in the back of a van and the road markings can easily be changed.

"I know a lot of people are really hating it but let’s give it six months to be reviewed and see where we go from there. Let’s give it a shot. It’s only for 12 months.”

The parish council is going to provide some floral planting but residents are being asked to ‘adopt a barrel’ by watering and maintaining it, with a prize at the end of the summer for the best.

“They’re not the most aesthetic as things stand so they really need some plants in,” said chairman, Cllr Martin Smith.

The need to improve mobile phone reception in the village was also raised.

Cllr Pattison revealed that Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan is trying to progress the issue and she hoped some of the recently announced Borderlands funding would be used to tackle the problem.

Cllr Pattison admitted: “We really must get something done about this. To not have an emergency signal in a village in this day and age is just ridiculous.”

The parish council is to investigate the potential for temporary cycle storage in the vicinity of the new road layout.

“With the barrels there, it seems a really good place to put cycle parking,” said Cllr Steven Bagley.

The parish council, with key stakeholders, is also progressing plans for donation posts at the harbour and on the path to Dunstanburgh Castle. Proceeds would be used for community projects.

Calls were also made for new signage on the approach to the village to be moved further out to improve visibility and for signage to get castle visitors parking in the main car park.

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