LUDLOW town centre pavements and pedestrian crossings are in for a major makeover under new proposals unveiled this week.

A Shropshire County Council scheme to create a largely paved area in the Bull Ring will give prime place to pedestrians but will still allow traffic to filter through the area with the help of traffic lights.

Improvement plans in Bull Ring, Corve Street and Old Street, Ludlow, go on public display today from 10.30am till 6pm at the Buttercross and residents are being encouraged to go along and give their views. From tomorrow (Friday they will go on display at Ludlow Library for a further two weeks.

More convenient

County council staff and consultants will be on hand to answer questions and hear people's comments.

The main aim of the proposal, the council explains, is to make the area safer and more convenient for pedestrians by widening the pavements on both sides of the Bullring; creating a new pavement in Old Street, outside Pye Powder; improving the signal-controlled pedestrian crossing; and introducing full traffic signal control of the junction.

As part of the overall improvement scheme, the pavements would be re-constructed using high quality natural stone.

Traffic signs, markings and street furniture will be renewed and simplified, to reduce clutter, a move, it is pointed out, that will provide an improved setting for historic buildings, such as the Feathers Hotel. Tarmac pavements on parts of Old Street, which have been a source of irritation in the past to town conservation watchdogs, will also be renewed with stone.

New informal pedestrian crossing facilities are proposed on Corve Street, near the recently improved Parkway, and on Old Street, near Friar's Walk.

Drivers will be given a clearer indication that they are entering the 20mph zone as they cross the line of the old town wall.

Welcoming the consultation on the new phase of the Town Centre Enhancement Scheme, Ludlow county councillor Peter Corston said: "This is an opportunity to improve pedestrian safety and make this part of the town more attractive.