New Tory council to review Southampton's £18.5m transport plan

An £18.5m transport plan for Southampton is to be reviewed "immediately" after the Conservatives took control of the city's council.

The authority's new leader, Dan Fitzhenry, said the current plans, proposed in February by the then Labour-run authority, were "not something we will be fully endorsing".

They included new car parks, cycle lanes and pedestrianising some streets.

Mr Fitzhenry said a bus lane in Bitterne Road West would be removed.

The council leader added Bedford Place, which was closed to provide seating for bars and restaurants, was set to be reopened to traffic, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"The current transport plan as it stands - which is Labour's transport plan - is not something that we will be fully endorsing," he said.

"The pedestrianisation, the removal of main routes into the city, those things will not be staying but we will properly analyse what's going on and then we'll come forward with a revised plan shortly."

"Low Traffic Neighbourhoods" have been introduced across many areas of the country and aim to tackle increasing traffic on minor roads.

They use street furniture such as planters to block roads in residential areas, but some have been controversial and have left communities divided.

Plans also under review by the new authority in Southampton include a new bus hub at Albion Place car park in Portland Terrace and improvements to Southampton Central Station with new crossings, more bus stops and taxi pick-up and drop-off facilities.

Mr Fitzhenry said the council would also look at projects already approved, such as a park and travel hub in Bitterne, to see if they "meet the requirements of people in the city".

The Conservatives took control of Southampton City Council away from Labour for the first time in nine years after they took their total number of seats to 25, two more than Labour's 23.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].