AS an older person I would, once again, like to bring up the subject of “the King Street plan” which was disgracefully “axed” last year.

For those who don’t remember, this was to give greater priority to pedestrians, with wider pavements, crossings and dropped kerbs, while maintaining some traffic and on-street parking – things which have been sorely needed in Knutsford for decades now.

However, what I find utterly scandalous is that, despite the promise of a £2 million government grant and the wishes of 80 per cent of the residents, the negative opinions of a few traders (some of whom don’t live in Knutsford) meant the scheme was “mothballed”.

As for their hackneyed complaint that the plan would have adversely affected their trade – this is absolute tosh and I speak from experience.

In the 1970s, we had a business in the busy high street of a Devon town, and when that was pedestrianised, it made absolutely no difference to any of the traders’ takings whatsoever.

In fact, the only thing that changed was that there were no more accidents from dangerous traffic and no more polluting, toxic fumes.

Just because a street goes quiet after pedestrianisation, it doesn’t mean it’s less busy. This is just the usual complaint by traders who need to have “hubbub” outside their door in order to feel active. Everyone knows it’s greedy landlords who bring about the demise of high street shops, not pedestrianisation.

For years now, I’ve hated Knutsford’s broken, narrow pavements and street parking, but as I’ve got older, it’s become impossible to look in shop windows while pedestrians overtake or come towards me, and I usually end up in the road, dodging cars.

Something I’m not prepared to do any more and consequently don’t go there.

According to Age Concern, “Taking an age friendly approach, local areas can maximise the huge social and economic contribution older people can make to their communities”.

So, isn’t it about time the council stopped pandering to a few traders, and listened to its residents (particularly the older ones) by copying other forward-thinking towns and cities, and make Knutsford an “age friendly town”?

Anne Gerhard Address supplied