Warwickshire County Council undertook a public engagement to the proposed St John’s Junction Improvements scheme in Warwick Town Centre. Engagement took place in November/December 2022; feedback was requested via a public survey, in person drop-in sessions and an online Teams event. These results were reviewed, including open-ended comments and letter/email responses submitted to the council, capturing key themes.
A total of 326 surveys were received, mostly from Warwickshire residents, of whom 55% live in Warwick Town centre.
The key findings are;
Respondents are broadly supportive of the scheme objectives and agree with the scheme in principle. The feedback demonstrates a strong level of support for improving the area around St. John’s from an active travel, traffic management and environmental perspective, with just under two thirds of respondents either “agreeing” or “strongly agreeing” with the scheme objectives.
However, specific proposals of the scheme attracted a significant amount of negative feedback, particularly concerning the loss of car parking spaces. This may reflect the high level of car travel amongst respondents and level of parking usage at St. John’s. There is also a strong reaction from local shoppers and business owners, with existing concerns over the vitality of the town centre due to a lack of available spaces. Removal of parking, which is already at a premium, was generally not well received.
Many respondents offered suggestions such as better management of existing spaces, rather than reducing the overall number of spaces, would be beneficial and should be explored in more detail. Respondents were broadly supportive of providing a loading bay and more disabled spaces, however there were concerns that these would get abused without proper policing.
Respondents broadly recognise existing issues in the area in regards to congestion, rat running and the premise for reducing car parking and restricting turning movements in/out of the service road. However, many did not believe the scheme would have a material impact on active travel; indeed, key concerns included the mixing of pedestrians and cyclists, local road safety issues and potential loss of pedestrian priority at signalised crossings.
Local residents were also concerned by restricting turning movements onto St Nicholas Church Street from St. John’s service road but also from Smith Street, despite the latter not being included in the proposals. Congestion on Coventry Road and Coten End was raised by a number of respondents, with some thinking that this could get worse with the proposals. The introduction of signalised crossing garnered a mixed response, with a lack of consensus as to whether this would improve or exacerbate traffic flow problems.
WCC Response
Next Steps;
Warwickshire County Council are requesting feedback on a package of infrastructure improvements to St John's junction in Warwick, an area which functions as a key gateway into Warwick town centre. The scheme aims to reconfigure the existing junction to ease vehicle flows and improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
Please see the documents and links at the bottom of this page for more information about the scheme and the wider town centre project. Information is also provided throughout the survey.
We would like feedback from the wider community and users of the St John's area to inform decisions on our next steps for the scheme.
Complete our online survey by clicking on the link below.
Request a paper copy or the survey in an alternative format or language by telephone (01926 412395) or email (contactcommunitiesgrp@warwickshire.gov.uk).
You can send your feedback directly to Warwickshire County Council by email warwicktc@warwickshire.gov.uk or in writing to St John's Engagement, Warwickshire County Council, Transport Planning, Shire Hall, Warwick, CV34 4RL.
You can also feedback at our information events - see details below. We will capture any feedback given at these events, but we strongly encourage you to also submit a written response using the survey.
The link to access the recording of the on-line event held on 23rd November 2022 is here and in the Related section below.
Shire Hall, Market Place, Warwick, CV34 4RL
Microsoft Teams
Shire Hall, Market Place, Warwick, CV34 4RL
Shire Hall, Market Place, Warwick, CV34 4RL
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