West Lothian councillors have backed controversial plans to change the centre of Winchburgh .
Almost 200 people objected to a scheme to slow traffic through the rapidly growing village.
And community groups have turned their backs on plans drawn up by the charity Sustrans- now known as Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (WWCT).
A major redraw of proposals resulted in only four of the 196 objections being withdrawn.
And despite calls by councillors for further refinements and promises by the trust to engage more with local people, few in the village seem to want the package.
An initial request for ways to slow traffic through the village has been met with a comprehensive redraw of the centre including widened pavements, road realignment and regimented parking.
Debate at the Development Management Committee this week only produced tweaks including the removal of a planned bus shelter outside of one villager’s house and the promise to look at the relocation of another.
In papers to the DMC, planners explained: “The application site extends from the bridge over the Union Canal to the west of Bennet Wood Terrace, where a traffic calming pinch point is proposed at the access to Fernlea, Nirvana and Easter Cottage.”
Winchburgh Community Development Trust, in partnership with West Lothian Council and Winchburgh Developments Ltd, applied to WWCT for Scotland’s Street Design Programme in 2018. This project is intended to form part of a wider vision for the regeneration of Winchburgh as a whole.
Planning officer Gillian Cyphus told the meeting: “There remains a significant body of objections from the residents. Residents are concerned about the impact of work on businesses and on residential amenities.”
She added: “The key issues for determination are the impact on road and pedestrian safety and the impact on amenity.”
Mrs Cyphus told the meeting that controversial proposals for the bus shelters had been changed in planning conditions and plans for bench seats had also been removed as part of conditions because of concerns about householder privacy .
While plans have been formulated since 2023 revision was demanded earlier this year.
The Community Council appeared at the DMC meeting to say that it could not support the revised proposals.
One Main Street resident Sylvia White told the meeting: “I am not opposed in principle but concerned whether the layout choices are correct and proportionate.”
Ms White said proposed changes in the siting of lights and crossings would mean “more stop-start traffic” along the street.
Lars Cook pointed out that 70 to 90 buses stopped outside his house each day. He and his family had to put up with foul language and people urinating against his home as well as general disruption from the existing bus stop. The building of a bus shelter would only exacerbate the disruption and invasion of his family’s privacy.
Jordan Wright who owns a pet supplies shop in the Main Street said that parking changes could take customers away from his shop and surrounding businesses.
Graham Campbell, the chair of Winchburgh Community Council said: “There are matters that are still up in the air for both businesses and residents. This was a community led project until a year ago when the cycle trust took on the community feedback and provided something that was really not what had been asked for.”
In its defence the engineering firm ARUP which had provided detailed design for the WWCT said: “The proposal creates a more accessible Main Street which prioritises people with additional access needs, including through the provision of additional parking bays (and disabled parking bays in particular) interlinked with improved footways for wheeling.”
Representatives from the charity and Arup said they were prepared to continue discussions with residents over issues raised and make changes where possible.
Details were debated over two hours before councillors reconvened to make a decision.
Councillor Willie Boyle said: “I am delighted at the dialogue this morning. I have to say in some ways I envy Winchburgh. What’s being proposed is positive.”
He pointed to the council’s own plans for decriminalised parking enforcement and 20mph zones coming into communities as part of national road policy changes. “These schemes in themselves are not enough, they can be ignored and can be difficult to enforce but engineering our streets to be safer I think is very positive.”
“I think this is the way forward. It has been unfortunate about the issues of communication but I think we have an opportunity to salvage this.”
He said a decision by the council would allow further conversations to take place.
Local ward councillor Tony Boyle said: “I think the best thing today would be take this plan back and get back into a discussion with the communities and come back in with a fully refined plan, But I know because of funding constraints that’s not going to happen. I would support this plan if conditions could be attached regarding the siting of the bus stops”.
Councillor Boyle suggested that the bus stop also be moved from outside Mr Cook’s house but planners suggested this would be difficult to condition as part of the proposals before the committee. It is something which can be considered by another committee.
The committee passed the proposals.
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
