Upset as route cracks two years after £3.2m revamp

Some residents have voiced their concern after a pavement has cracked less than two years after a £3.2m regeneration project, a councillor has said.

Wiltshire Council has installed barriers around a section of Fisherton Street in Salisbury ahead of repairs being carried out.

Councillor Chris Taylor said: "The paving slabs have moved towards each other, it appears, which has formed quite a lip and a ledge. People are quite upset about it."

Martin Smith, the council's cabinet member for highways, said the authority was investigating the cause of the problem, ahead of making plans for appropriate repairs.

Taylor said the scheme cost a lot of money, adding: "When people see something like this happen they wonder if the money was well spent."

The multi-million-pound work on Fisherton Street in 2024 saw wider pavements introduced and new lighting installed.

Changes were funded by a wider £9m investment from the government's Future High Streets Fund.

But some aspects of the project have been controversial, including a section dubbed the "killer kerb" on Fisherton Street which several cars have collided with.

Council officers will carry out inspections of nearby sections of pavements to assess for similar issues.

Smith added: "Safety remains our priority and we will continue to take appropriate action wherever any risks are identified."

Andy Munns from Salisbury Radio has been following the road's redevelopment.

"Some people think it is a good thing, other people think it is a bit bland and the quality of work in some parts isn't the best. It's been a bit of a Marmite topic.

"It's [the pavement] not in the best condition," he said. "And we're only 18 months or so since the project was finished."

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