LAST month, I signed a cross-party statement relating to the Valley Gardens Phase 3 project.

It was a statement agreed in good faith following a meeting with community members where a number of concerns about the preliminary design for the project were raised.

However, what the statement did not say is that overall, I am very supportive of the Valley Gardens scheme, which will bring a much improved sustainable transport network and more green space to the heart of our city; as well as improving road safety, at what has recently been reported as one of the most dangerous roundabouts in the country.

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I have been impressed with the works to date on Phases 1 and 2 of the project where new cycle lanes and improved footpaths have now appeared and which, on completion, will offer a new park for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Phase 3 is vital to realising the full potential of the area; ensuring continuous sustainable transport links, a simplified road layout and more open, public space in the Old Steine area.

While the concerns of community members need to be heard, the opportunity to address many of the issues raised will come when the project progresses to the detailed design stage.

We cannot reach this stage without certainty about the funding for the project, which will be determined by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

In January, the LEP provisionally agreed £6 million of funding for Phase 3, this is vital investment in our city at a time when the council is having to do more with less to meet the urgent environmental challenges of the day.

Once the Funding Agreement for the project has been finalised, we can then proceed to detailed design when feedback from all stakeholders will be taken on board to produce a final design for the area.

A cross-party task and finish group will oversee the process and I am confident that this will offer an opportunity to address many of the unresolved concerns about the project.

Notwithstanding this important engagement process, there will need to be compromise in order to deliver the overall prize of securing the right sustainable transport solution that secures carbon neutrality and significant improvements in air quality by 2030.

Councillor Jackie O’Quinn, Labour member for Goldsmid