Concerns have been raised by residents about plans to transform a Leicester estate, who feel like they weren’t given a fair say on the changes.
Some residents from St Matthews in near the city centre say plans to revamp the area which include more parking spaces and closing off a walkway deemed ‘unsafe’ are in need of further consideration.
Leicester City Council shared details of the £850,000 proposal on April 6, when the consultation period opened, allowing residents to have their say.
Local charity, St Matthew’s Big Local’s partnership board, predominantly made up of local residents, voiced concerns saying the plans not as “well-considered” as they could be and felt residents were not properly informed about it.
Chairman Lee Nicholls, who used to own the local service station, said: “Unless people saw the story in the Mercury, they would not have known about it.
“A lot of people whose first language is not English wouldn’t have known either.”
When approached by LeicestershireLive for comment on the proposals, numerous residents said they were unaware of them.
But LeicestershireLive understands that some board members who live in areas that could see changes “on their doorstep” had no idea of the consultation.
“We’re also concerned about the environmental impact and think the money going towards it could be better spent, ” Lee Nicholls said. “One of our visions as a charity is for the area to be cleaner and greener and this is something we’d like to work with the council on.”
Residents from the local charity partnership have asked for a meeting with the Leicester City Council to work together and “help to make informed changes”.
In a full statement, a Leicester City Council spokesperson said: “Consultation with residents has been taking place over a long period of time. This chance to comment is the latest step in ongoing engagement work with residents which will continue over the coming months.
“We drew up these proposals in response to residents on the estate who have asked us for more parking spaces and better landscaping.
“Our plans include improved screening, more planting and electric car charging points, as we fully recognise the need to provide improvements that take our environmental commitments into account.
“As well as living people the chance to comment online or at the local residents’ association, council officers have gone door-to-door in the area to talk to residents. We are also happy to assist if we are asked for information in other languages.”
Article originally appeared on Leicestershire Live
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