Community Engagement to consider changes to the layout of North Berwick High Street between Quality Street and Church Road
The Council is considering options for changes to the layout of North Berwick High Street between Quality Street and Church Road to address concerns and issues over road safety for pedestrians and cyclists and to address equality of access for people with mobility impairments.
Longstanding engagement with the local community has highlighted that:
- The footways are too narrow in places (wheelchairs / prams etc have difficulty passing each other)
- There is a lack of level / step free crossing opportunities
- At times, there is too much traffic on the street (including larger vehicles)
The purpose of the study is to create a safer, more accessible, and more attractive High Street that meets the needs of all users and businesses by providing quality infrastructure and placemaking. The final solution should provide benefits by prioritising walking, wheeling (wheelchairs, prams etc.) and cycling for everyday journeys and leisure trips, retaining access to the businesses on High Street, allowing for loading and servicing and creating a more pleasant environment.
In general, there will be no parking between Quality Street and Market Place except for loading / unloading by commercial vehicles and for blue badge holders.
The study will consider the findings of the North Berwick Town Centre Charette undertaken by North Berwick Coastal Area Partnership in 2017 and a separate parking study which has been commissioned by East Lothian Council.
Have Your Say
This is the first stage of engagement on the North Berwick High Street study to inform the preparation of layout designs / options and we would welcome your feedback to help us identify challenges faced by all users of High Street and highlight opportunities for improvements. A community engagement event will be held in Abbey Church (116, High Street, North Berwick, EH39 4HE) on Tuesday 16 August 2022 between 3pm and 7pm. All are welcome, so please feel free to share the invite more widely.
An online survey has opened and will run until 28 August 2022 and can be viewed here
The information provided at this stage will be collated and will help to inform the development of concept designs that reflect the needs and aspirations of the local community and visitors to North Berwick High Street. Following on from this, there will then be other opportunities to comment on the concept designs.