Welcome to Walk-sall: Cars to be banned in town centre revamp

A section of Wolverhampton Street is being lined up for work to make it easier and safer for people out shopping in the heart of the borough.

Walsall Council is considering the action to better connect the main Park Street with the Crown Wharf Shopping Centre and Walsall Waterfront.

However, it would mean traffic being diverted from Wolverhampton Street onto the main Ring Road, which can get busy at peak periods.

Deputy council leader Adrian Andrew said: "It is really in some ways to extend Park Street. It would make it easier for people to walk around the town centre.

"It would improve the flow of people between the sites. Sometimes the traffic is quite heavy."

The pedestrianisation zone would be near to the New Art Gallery, between the mini roundabout and Green Lane, which can get congested.

Such a scheme would not impact on traffic going to the Crown Wharf, off the main Wolverhampton Road and onto Wolverhampton Street.

Traffic would also still be able to get onto St Paul's Street, by Tesco's leading towards Hatherton Road, from Stafford Street.

The scheme has been highlighted in a Town Centre Action Plan drawn up by the council to consider improvement works in the future.

It would make it safer for shoppers in the town centre to get between sites and encourage more people into the town.

It comes as investment is being ploughed into that end of the town with a Premier Inn having opened in recent years and work on the Walsall Waterfront.

The pedestrianisation scheme is still subject to funding and the council agreeing to push ahead with the project.

A report to Walsall Council states it could cost at least £575,000, with around £75,000 secured from external sources.

It comes after other pedestrianisation work was carried out elsewhere in the town almost a decade ago. It took place in Leicester Street as part of the £1.4m Civic Quarter revamp which spruced up the area near to the council house and town hall.

The £23m Ring Road saw a mile-long stretch revamped from the Walsall Arboretum junction to Pleck Road given an overhaul. It took three years to complete and opened in May 2009 - despite work over running and costing more than first expected.