Plans for New Pedestrian Crossing point in Penrith to Link Angel Square and New Squares Welcomed

Local group and Penrith Town Council have welcomed plans by Westmorland and Furness Council to create new pedestrian crossing point in Penrith linking Angel Square and New Squares.

Westmorland and Furness Council are progressing plans to create a crossing point on Princess Street along with new signage linking the two town centre shopping areas with funding from the UK Shared Prosperity fund given to the area by the previous government.

Evolve Penrith said its please to see the plans progressing adding “ We first spoke with the former Cumbria County Council highways during the Pandemic about creating pedestrian corridor through Penrith Town centre as an alternative to the widespread moves to Pedestrianise the town centre that other organisations were pushing for”.

“Evolve Penrith do not support full pedestrianisation in Penrith as the towns wider infrastructure does not have the capacity for this and it would also further negatively impact the town’s businesses as the closures last year further proved for gas mains works.”

“Penrith does have areas that are already pedestrianised that with a few small links creates a full pedestrian route from the top of Middlegate to New Squares the route alone Middlegate and into Little Dockray needs a crossing point between Little Dockray and Market Square to link through Angel Square with a pedestrian crossing into New Squares creating a full pedestrian route throw the town.”

Westmorland and Furness Council have created plans to implement an advisory pedestrian crossing point across Princess Street between Angel Square and New Squares that will see a beige coloured pedestrian crossing point created across the road and new signage to warn drivers of the narrow road and pedestrians crossing.

£11,000 of government funding from the UK Shared Prosperity fund has been earmarked by the council for the New Squares pedestrian work.

Members of the town council planning committee also considered and supported the proposals for the crossing on Princes Street which the Town Council has also been calling for but has asked that the signs proposed be for pedestrian’s crossing rather than children crossing as shown on the councils plans.