| Owners of shops and businesses in Wharf Street and the Market Place have been collecting signatures to support their protest against the proposed removal of vehicular access to make way for a continental style piazza. The scheme proposes to remove car parking in the Market Place and restrict vehicular access between 10.00am and 6.00pm
West Berkshire Council alleges that in their recent consultation, more than 75% of those who responded are in favour of the scheme proceeding as originally planned. The traders are disputing this figure just based on the comments received from their own customers. They have organised their own protest and people have been queuing up to sign.
Their main objection is the removal of vehicular access, which will cause the traders serious problems with deliveries and customer collections. Delivery companies have already indicated that they have enough problems trying to deliver to Northbrook Street before 10.00am without the added burden of the Market Place as well.
The protest has had to be prepared on individually signed forms, to circumvent council policy whereby a petition is only counted as one objection even if it contains 10,000 signatures. Richard Benyon, Conservative MP for Newbury collected the forms today and proposed to deliver them personally to the West Berkshire Council offices in Market Street.
Our picture shows Richard Benyon collecting the protest forms from ICN Computers in the Wharf earlier today. | 
