Fury at 'ugly' lamp posts put up in Wem
A move to put up modern lamp posts next to specially designed traditional lighting in a conservation area has been criticised by local residents.
John Hand, from Mill Street, Wem, said the new lamp posts, which have been installed in the area, look "ugly" and do not fit in with the historic market town.
His wife Amanda said she was going to raise the issue with members of Wem Town Council at their next meeting.
She said: "The mixture of the new lamp posts next to the heritage ones look very strange.
"We have a Georgian property in Mill Street and we are very careful at maintaining it so it stays in keeping with the area.
"We are livid about these new lights.
"A total of 15 of them have gone up in a conservation area. It looks a mess."
Wem town councillors were due to discuss the issue at their town council meeting held last night.
Mr Hand said: "A few years ago a large amount of money was spent putting up traditional heritage lamp posts to complement the conservation area in Wem.
"It is therefore such a shame see modern ugly lamp posts now being erected alongside these heritage lamp posts.
"Mill Street only has one narrow pedestrian pavement and it is the busiest road in Wem.
"In places it measures only 80cm. This has been further reduced by the siting of black power boxes for these lights."
Mr Hand said that incidents involving pedestrians and vehicles had also been reported.
Last year a petition was launched after parents voiced their concerns about large vehicles on the corner of Barnard Street and Mill Street.
Parents said they were worried about walking along the narrow pavement with their children.
For years Wem has had problems with speeding traffic and HGVs using the town centre's narrow roads and causing damage to buildings and walls.
As a result an automatic number plate recognition traffic survey was carried out in the town. Residents are also awaiting the delayed results of a traffic survey which Shropshire Council has commissioned.
Simon Jones, Shropshire Council's Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "A survey was commissioned in order to understand the nature of HGV movements through Wem, in particular on Mill Street, differentiating local access and through trips.
"The analysis required for this type of survey is extremely complex and unfortunately there have been some significant delays in the initial data analysis work that has been undertaken by the survey company."
