WYRE FOREST Council has spoken out after concerns were raised about accessibility at a new Kidderminster park.
The newly created Talbot Park and green space connects Worcester Street with Bromsgrove Street and is due to open in the spring.
Following the announcement of the scheme, concerns have been raised about the accessibility of the project.
One concerned resident sent an email to Wyre Forest District Council officers, which claims the build was not fit for purpose, fails on public safety and is not accessible for all.
Concerns were brought to the attention of Wyre Forest District Council officers and an email response to a resident was partially shared to a Facebook group.
The authority has since released the full email to ensure ‘everyone has access to accurate information.’
The email read: “We’re aware that concerns have been raised about accessibility at Talbot Park, and we’d like to address them directly.
“The relevant national guidance is the Department for Transport’s Inclusive Mobility: A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure (2022).
“This guidance recognises that in areas with significant existing level changes, it may not always be possible to achieve ideal gradients and instead encourages designers to deliver the best practicable level of accessibility, supported by appropriate resting points and landings.”
The email added that the Talbot Park design had been developed specifically in response to the site’s substantial topographical constraints, which include more than 10 metres of level difference across the area.
“Within these constraints, the scheme introduces a combination of stepped and step-free routes, including a continuous step-free route connecting Worcester Street and Bromsgrove Street, which was not previously available.
“All step-free routes have been designed to be as shallow as reasonably achievable.
“To support accessibility, the scheme incorporates a range of measures such as rest points, seating, intermediate landings within the switchback ramp design, and widened areas that allow users to pause.”
The council has a duty to make reasonable and proportionate accessibility.
The authority claimed the design had been developed with this responsibility in mind and sought to deliver the best possible inclusive access, given the physical characteristics of the site.
It added accessibility was a central consideration throughout the design and development of the scheme, but understood and ‘genuinely respected’ that not everyone would feel their concerns had been fully addressed.
Talbot Park was named in celebration of town champion Charles Talbot MBE, who died in 2019.
