Last week I asked Lancashire County Council to reschedule the two-week closure of High Street in Garstang from the end of November to late January, in response to many concerns from local businesses about the impact on footfall, trade, and income on the run up to Christmas.
They have recently responded to me saying thy won’t change the dates, advising:
We acknowledge that the pre-Christmas trading period is a vital time for local businesses. We understand their concern with regarding the impact that the road closure may have on local footfall and their income. We appreciate the suggestions to consider deferring the works to a later date.
We would like to provide some background information relating to the scheduling of these works.
We have developed the schedule for this programme of works following consultation and discussions with Wyre Borough Council, Garstang Town Council, and the local Market Inspector. We have attended multiple site visits and held discussions to assess the viable options. We reached a compromise in October 2025 after careful consideration of operational and community needs.
Several key factors have influenced the timing of these works:
– High Street is a bus route; this requires a statutory 12-week notice period for any closure.
– Local event constraints: Wyre Council and Garstang Town Council requested that the works be scheduled between the Remembrance Parade and the Victorian Festival in mid-November, significantly narrowing the available window for us to complete the works.
– Seasonal restrictions: The dates we are completing the works fall outside of the Christmas embargo period. This is compliant with county-wide guidance.
At this stage, we have now completed all the preparatory work and notified all relevant third parties of the works. We also have a signed Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) for the closure in November. A deferral to January or February would present a significant risk to the scheme proceeding at all, due to resource availability and the need to restart statutory processes.
To help mitigate disruption:– We will reopen the road daily once works are completed.
– We will work as efficiently as possible to aim for early completion.
– A system will be in place to allow delivery vehicles access when safe to do so.
We will do everything we can do minimise disruption and support the local community during the works on High Street. We will also ensure that all appropriate diversion routes are well signposted.
We will post details of these works on our countywide road works bulletin to show when the road works are taking place. This will help keep local residents informed of the disruption and enable them to plan accordingly. Residents can find this information online at: Road works bulletin.
I don’t accept this as a done deal. There are ways for councils to urgently change bus routes which I’ve offered support with, and I believe there is flexibility on the timing between other events and outside of the seasonal period.
People need to feel that their councils work for them, and this is a perfect opportunity to show residents and businesses that the council can listen and be responsive.
I have written to all levels of local government and local representatives in Garstang, encouraging them to work together and to not give up. You can read my letter below: