Archive Council News

Crane Street One Way System Introduced in Cefn

Following a meeting called to respond to concerns of local residents and traders it has been agreed that the one-way system on Crane Street will be reinstated from Monday 3rd April for a trial period of four weeks, with a width restriction of 2.4m (8’0”) for deliveries from the Acrefair direction only.

The road has been closed since continual flouting of a previous one-way restriction made the area dangerous to road users and to contractors working on the refurbishment of Ebenezer Chapel.

The Townscape Heritage Initiative Steering Group also consulted with the Police, the site contractors and representatives from the Highways and Planning sections of Wrexham County Borough Council.

While making the announcement the Chair of the Group, Cllr Warren Coleman, said: “We appreciate that the total closure of Crane Street has brought frustration to local residents and traders. However, the closure decision was taken following the theft of a number of road signs and several instances of vehicles ignoring the one-way restrictions. The trial reinstatement of the one-way system in April is being implemented together with traffic calming measures and enhanced signage. I would urge local residents and traders, to adhere to the restriction as we have reacted in response to feedback from them and wish to minimise the disruption caused during the regeneration programme. If the one-way system is again ignored the road may well need to be totally closed for the duration of the works”

Police will be patrolling the area and have a number of options to deal with motorists who flout the one way restrictions. Offending drivers can be issued with endorsable fines, summonsed to court or ultimately have their vehicles seized for driving in an inconsiderate manner after being warned under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002. Police will also issue fines for vehicles parked dangerously or causing an obstruction. Installation of traffic lights was not considered a viable proposition as they would attract vandalism, cause congestion and discourage people from using the route at all. Other traffic calming measures such as Dragons teeth were suggested, however these could not be implemented as they may cause problems for the emergency services.

It was also confirmed that a council liaison officer will continue to work with local shopkeepers and inform them of the changes. Local traders’ are invited to a Traders Forum meeting on Monday 10th April at 6.00pm at George Edwards Hall. Representatives of all interested parties will be attending the meeting, to ensure that all viewpoints are heard.

Cllr Coleman went on to say: “The overall regeneration scheme will bring major long term benefits to Cefn and this scale of project is bound to cause some disruption. We are striving to keep that disruption to a minimum but would ask the local community to support us while the necessary building works for the future benefit of Cefn take place.”

The Cefn Mawr Townscape Heritage Initiative has been made possible by the award of a £3.5m grant from Welsh Assembly Government, Heritage Lottery Fund, Cadw and the Welsh Development Agency. Cefn Mawr is an important site for local heritage as it formerly acted as a significant hub for the transportation of locally sourced minerals, stone and brick. The Ebenezer Chapel and Cefn Square development is the first phase of the scheme which could ultimately see up to 52 buildings being restored by 2010.