AN army of Women's Institute members is being recruited to root out unnecessary "street furniture" which it is claimed is cluttering up historic Worcester.

English Heritage has called on the WI to help carry out an audit of road signs, litter bins, lamp-posts and bollards.

"Our members will be letting councils know that local people want their streets back," said Suzanne Owen, chairwoman of the Worcestershire Federation of Women's Institutes.

"It is great for our organisation to be involved with English Heritage. The WI has always been concerned about our communities and making the lives within them better."

Yesterday, Mrs Owen, English Heritages' historic areas adviser Michael Taylor, and Worcester City Council conservation officer Will Scott walked around Worcester to launch the Save Our Streets campaign, pointing out good and bad street design in Worcester City centre.

Mr Scott said agencies working together was the key to improving streetscapes as this helped to spread the cost of redevelopment.

"It is a case of putting together a package that makes sense for that area and it's all about partnerships."

"Fish Street is a good example. Using original materials, retaining kerbs and adding a tree have made the area more welcoming.

"This was a partnership between the city council, English Heritage and the Duckworth Trust," he added.

Mr Taylor said his organisation was working with the Department of Transport - the agency responsible for a large proportion of signs - to produce a streetscape manual to protect townscapes during future traffic planning.

"Streets should provide a neutral backdrop - but not boring - and

a context to

set off the architecture of buildings. Streets should be a place where people enjoy meeting with friends and socialising," he said.

"This has been lost in the street design and layout in many urban areas, and while we realise that not every street is going to be paved in York stone, it is important to highlight important historical locations which can be tidied up."

The public, including school children and youth organisations can also help with the street audit.

To find out more about the street audit, which is taking place around the country, log on to www.english-heritage.org.uk

And it's not just the cities that are getting cluttered

Earlier this year, the Campaign to Protect Rural England challenged highways authorities to save the countryside from excessive road signage and markings that detracted from the countryside's appearance.

Paul Hamblin, CPRE's Head of Transport Policy said authorities needed to meet the challenges of rising traffic levels in a sensitive manner to protect the countryside.

"At its worst, small hamlets can resemble a shop window for traffic calming manufacturers, while the painted lines along country lanes can make them look like race tracks," he said.

Chairman of the Worcestershire Branch, Tom McDonald said CPRE volunteers were photographing instances of what they consider inappropriate street furniture in preparation for a meeting with Worcestershire County Council later this month.

"We wanted to avoid a knee-jerk reaction on this subject and aim to work with the council on this matter," he said.

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