Concerns over safety of new ramp in Colsterworth

A new pedestrian ramp aimed at providing access to a new Co-op food store has been criticised by village residents for being too steep.

Residents in Colsterworth have questioned the design and safety of the arched ramp which has been built to serve as a crossing point across Bridge End to the new Co-op store, due to open later this month.

Kate Tyminska lives in the village with her two sons Beau, seven and Dex, four. Beau contracted meningitis when he was just three-weeks-old and has limited mobility, which means that he often relys on a wheelchair.

Kate said: “I would struggle to get both boys safely across the road. Because the new Co-op is that bit further from our house than the old Co-op, I’d have to have Dex on his bike as it’s a bit far for him to walk. With Beau in his wheelchair, I’d struggle to hold on to them both safely in order to get over the ramp and across the road. I’m not even sure we’d be able to negotiate the ramp anyway. Our wheelchair has anti-tip bars on it for safety, which limit how far you can tilt the chair back so it doesn’t tip over. I think the incline is too steep to even get our chair up it in the first place. There’s several elderly and people with disabilities who use motorised scooters who aren’t going to be able to even get near to the new store. They haven’t thought it through at all.”

David Jardine, 49, of Woodlands Drive, Colsterworth, is also concerned about the safety risks.

He said: “It has been put on the only side that has a footpath on it. It is as if whoever has installed it has just thought that will do without actually putting much thought into it.”

A Highways spokesperson said: “We are aware of this issue, and are working with the developer to find a better solution.”

The new Co-op store in Bridge End – almost treble the size of its existing store – is set to open on Thursday March 22, following a £600,000 investment creating three new jobs.

The new-look store will have an enhanced in-store bakery, Costa coffee dispenser and a focus on fresh, healthy foods, meal ideas, news and magazines, wines and essentials.