Hundreds more sign Ironbridge riverside paving petition
A petition launched to stop plans to remove flagstone paving along the banks of the River Severn in Ironbridge has been signed by more than 500 people in one day.
Telford & Wrekin Council wants to replace flagstones at the Wharfage and Tontine Hill with block paving, but residents in the town are trying to stop the move.
A petition launched last week had already been signed by more than 1,200 people when a further 500 signatures were added on Sundaytaking the total to 1,700.
Christopher Dale, an Ironbridge resident who started the petition, said: "I'm just amazed. We had over 500 people sign on Sunday alone, and I honestly don't know what prompted it.
"I think it shows the strength of feeling though."
The council says the additional cost of maintaining the current Yorkstone would run to £300,000.
But campaigners say the stone makes up the colour palette of the gorge and closely matches the stonework used in the bridge.
They have criticised the council's consultation on the £380,000 scheme, saying that it did not offer people the option to choose the replacement for the current stone.
In a recent poll conducted on an Ironbridge residents' social media group, more than 80 per cent of respondents favoured repairing the existing stone pavements rather than replacing them with the proposed block work.
In comments left on the petition, people from all over the Telford area have been expressing their dismay that the Yorkstone could be removed.
Telford & Wrekin Council spokesman Russell Griffin said the existing paving had suffered "extensive damage" and was "extremely expensive and difficult to maintain".
The council has urged residents to visit www.telford.gov.uk/ironbridgefootways, which gives more information about why the decision to resurface was made.
To sign the petition, go to change.org/p/save-ironbridge-stone-pavements
