Wrenfield Town Council has approved a six-month trial closing the lower end of Corn Street to through traffic between 10am and 4pm, following a debate that ran past eleven o’clock and passed by a single vote.

Supporters argued the cobbled stretch below the Butter Cross has become too dangerous for the number of people crossing to the Tuesday and Saturday markets. Opponents warned that turning away vehicles will push trade toward the retail park on the Ackerbourne road.

What the trial actually changes

From the first Monday of next month, the affected stretch will operate under a new access arrangement. The council has confirmed the following:

• Deliveries will be permitted before 10am and after 4pm only
• Blue badge holders keep access to the three bays outside the old post office
• Removable bollards, not permanent works, will mark the boundary
• A count of footfall and takings will be published before any decision to extend

Market traders remain divided. Several fruit and flower stalls welcomed the change, while the ironmonger and the two butchers said their heavier customers rely on kerbside loading.

The council has promised a public review session at the halfway point. The Post will be there, and we will publish the footfall figures in full when the trial ends.

Related: the Corn Street bookshop closure · Town Hall reporting

Further reading: Pedestrian zones explained

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The Wrenfield Post