By Joy as ‘parklets’ are removed for good
Locals who were largely opposed to the installation of parklets on streets in Louth have reacted with joy at the news that they are now gone for good.
The structures, which cost £62,000, have been largely condemned as a “waste of public funds” and were met with numerous incidents of vandalism and criminal damage before being removed.
Despite their removal, Lincolnshire County Council says the parklets were ‘widely supported’.
Speaking last week authorities issued an update stating that Louth’s controversial parklets and the future of the Active Travel Scheme was under review.
A spokesperson for Lincolnshire County Council said that the parklets were removed for safety reasons. He said:” At the moment we have removed the base units that were left behind after the previous counts of vandalism. We’ve done this for safety reasons as the units were not designed to be platform only. As far as the future of Louth’s ATF goes, we are reviewing what will be the next steps for the scheme with the Louth Transport Board in a meeting at the end of this month.”
Now, Chris Miller, Head of Environment at Lincolnshire County County, confirmed that the parklets will not be returning to Louth. The units will be placed elsewhere instead.
Chris Miller, added: “We have taken the decision that the Parklets will not be returning to Mercer Row. We will now find locations best suited to the seating units that will mean that they will continue to be used in the manner that they are designed for.
“During the meeting with the Town Council and Louth residents, and through a survey by the Town Council, there have been many ideas put forward about what the next phase of the Active Travel Scheme could look like to reflect the future needs of pedestrians and visitors to Louth that the experimental scheme has sought to demonstrate.”
Dozens tuned in to a live feed of the announcment which was met with an overwhelmingly positive response.
One person said: “Great news, sad about the vandalism but hopefully they will listen to the local council before making ridiculous decisions .”
Another added: “Well done. They were stupid thing’s, another waste of money. Who wanted to sit in the road with all the traffic and fumes?”
(Photo: BBC)
