West Street improvements
West Street has some of the oldest, most beautiful buildings in Midhurst but is marred at times by speeding traffic, on-pavement parking which blocks pavements and obscures shop windows and very poor quality surfaces.
The proposed improvements are to:
1. Make Grange Road (from left turn) and West Street one-way and block off access to the Rumbold's Hill mini-roundabout. Help make old town a sought-out destination and more pedestrian friendly. Create a much-improved street scene, with new surfaces complimenting the incredible buildings and shop fronts, reducing traffic, stopping it being used as a rat-run and improving traffic flow/safety at the mini-roundabout and Red Lion Street.
2. Remove on-street parking on West Street – this will enhance the look of the street, stop the shop fronts being obscured, make it accessible to wheelchair users and pushchairs. Deliveries and collection concerns are paramount to businesses/residents and this is one of the design aspects which needs careful consideration and consultation.
© Deacon Design Landscape Architects
For those of you who have been in Midhurst for many years you will know that part-pedestrianisation of Old Town has been discussed for decades. The only improvement so far has been changing what was a car park in Market Square to the wonderful outdoor space for Garton’s, markets and concerts it is today. That created much controversy at the time and is now the vibrant heart of the old town.
Update
We applied for Community Highways Funding in 2023/24 for this project from West Sussex County Council Highways. Sadly this was unsuccessful we were told ‘due to the Department for Transport asking that all schemes relating to the introduction of shared use spaces be paused’. This was surprising to us as we had made no reference to shared space in our application, although we are aware this funding is always over-subscribed.
We hope to continue to work with the Town Council and West Street businesses and residents to find a solution and funding to make West Street more pedestrian friendly and make the Old Town more of a destination.