'˜We need to have a comprehensive look at parking and traffic flow'

Coun Jeff Sutton made the plea at last Wednesday’s Rothbury Parish Council meeting, in a bid to improve the situation for residents and visitors.

He believed that parking and traffic needs to be looked at as one, instead of a piecemeal approach.

“We need to look at this across the board – from parking to zebra-crossings, if need be,” Coun Sutton said.

He added: “It is not just about a couple of things, we need to have a comprehensive look at this – it’s parking, it’s the entrances to the villages, it’s the traffic system, traffic calming – it’s everything.

“There’s all these new houses but the infrastructure remains the same. We need to put a plan in place of what we want and we need to be forceful.

“Let’s look at the whole village. Maybe put the one-way system back and enforce it, let’s have more disabled parking spaces, perhaps limited-time bays outside shops in the high street so that the elderly can park, get there shopping, then go, perhaps more parking throughout the village.

“Why would anyone want to look around and stay in Rothbury if they can’t get parked.”

During the discussion, the parish council put forward its three priorities for consideration for Northumberland County Council’s 2018/19 Local Transport Plan (LTP).

These were: A zebra-crossing near Rothbury Kindergarten; traffic calming on the B6341 entrance by the tennis courts; and a pedestrian crossing by the war memorial.

Coun Peter Dawson said he welcomed improvements in Rothbury, but wasn’t a big fan of the LTP, believing the parish doesn’t get a fair deal.

He said: “The problem with the LTP is that, this parish council, for the last two-and-a-half decades, has put in proposals – and they have never been acted upon by the county council.

“There seems to be this attitude that it’s only Rothbury, does it matter? Well yes, it does matter. Why do things happen elsewhere, but here you hit a brick wall? It is like swimming through treacle with your hands behind your back.”