Clutter in the streets

THE BEAUTY of our small market towns is gradually disappearing under a welter of traffic signs, ugly street furniture and unsightly obstructions that are creating a visual chaos in places that should be full of charm and history.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Bourne where successive local authorities have been responsible for installing equipment in the most unsuitable places to the detriment of the environment and the street scene.

A walk through the town with this in mind will reveal some of the nastier effects that have been foisted on us by council planners with little thought for their appearance and the motivation appears to be that if it works it will do, no matter how it clashes with its surroundings or defaces the traditional appearance of a country market town.

The most recent example of this official vandalism is the new system of traffic lights, erected in the town centre in the summer of 2004 at a cost of £170,000, when the ugly and badly designed black supporting posts were erected with little or no thought to their appearance with the result that yet another depressing addition has appeared in our town centre.

English Heritage is aware of what is happening in many of our towns and cities and has launched an initiative to make us more conscious of our surroundings. The aim of the campaign is to restore dignity and character to our historic streets, largely by removing the blight of unnecessary signs, poles, bollards, barriers, hotchpotch paving schemes and obtrusive road markings under which they currently suffer. England's streets are important for as they are the first thing visitors see, their appearance is how we are perceived by the world.

It is astounding to discover that more than 20 different agencies, including the local councils, are able to install equipment in our streets and unfortunately there is no control and very little co-ordination over their activities, even where historic and conservation areas are involved. In this way, buildings and thoroughfares can be ruined overnight by unsightly additions and once in place, it is difficult to get them removed.

Bollards, posts and signs therefore proliferate over time without anyone actually determining whether each new addition is strictly necessary or integrated into the wider area. There has been a great tradition in this country of making and maintaining attractive streetscapes but in recent years we have allowed them to be marred by swathes of unnecessary clutter, mainly to meet national traffic and engineering regulations, and Bourne has more than its fair share.

There is a growing awareness of what is wrong and highways engineers are being urged to review and remove whatever is not absolutely necessary and once that happens, it will be up to the public to ensure that it is not put back.

The campaign by English Heritage is aimed principally at streets in conservation areas or those with historic buildings although almost every road or lane can be dramatically improved within the law and without infringing health and safety.

These photographs were taken mainly in and around the Bourne conservation area, designated on 21st July 1977, to illustrate the problem in this town. English Heritage says that cluttered streets are often a symptom of a community in decline and with low self-esteem. It would be tragic if that is how we have come to be regarded by visitors.

It is unbelievable that these traffic lights were installed in this position, so close to the front facade of a Grade II listed building at No 17 North Street, yet not one word was raised in protest when the work was completed twelve years ago.

North Street


Rusting postal boxes in West Road (left) and junction and other boxes in North Street in the heart of the conservation area (right) and below, the mass of objects in the town centre (left) and road and other commercial signs in West Street (right).


A junction box and bank hardware in the town centre (left) and outsized direction signs alongside the Spalding Road (right), the main one providing quite useless, even misleading information.

Pavements often contain too much street furniture in a very small area and although flower tubs are meant to enhance the scene, the choice of design is not always a good one, while cycle racks are totally out of place in front of listed buildings.

Once England had some of the most elegant streets in the world and was famed for the quality of its street furniture. Today, it is so often a different story. Our historic streets are being trashed by thoughtlessness and cheap design. Local authorities are the custodians of our streets and should be setting an example of enlightened stewardship. We need to start by removing the clutter and viewing our streets as historic places in their own right rather than using them as a dumping ground. We are all pedestrians and we all deserve better.
- Simon Thurley, Chief Executive, English Heritage.