THERE could be a last-ditch effort to get Southampton City Council to reconsider pressing ahead with the controversial Portswood Broadway scheme.

Despite the scheme being voted in by the council on January 16, the authority’s scrutiny committee has now ‘called in’ the matter.

This means the committee can officially recommend to the cabinet to change its mind on going ahead with the controversial plans.

The scheme, to pedestrianise part of the Broadway to make it ‘greener and more vibrant’, has been the centre of huge debate since it was first announced in 2020.

Objectors, which include residents, business owners and the Tory opposition, said it will be ‘the death of the Broadway’, as 12,000 cars a day will be diverted.

Amid protests the city council’s cabinet unanimously agreed to go ahead with the scheme, saying it had listened to concerns and that is why it was starting it on a ‘part-time basis’.

As well as allowing pedestrians through the Broadway, buses will also be able to go through a bus gate which will be constructed towards the end of 2024 and begin operating from 7am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm.

Now the council’s overview scrutiny and management committee has ‘called in’ the decision on Thursday.

The cabinet will have to consider the matter if councillors on the scrutiny panel agree it should.

According to a pre-OSMC report, the reason for the call-in, which was signed by OSMC chair Councillor Richard Blackman and OSMC vice-chair Cllr Jeremy Moulton, states the reasons:

n Lack of adequate consideration, and misrepresentation of the findings from the consultation undertaken by the Council.

n Information that would help to inform the decision relating to current pollution levels and bus delays caused by traffic on Portswood Broadway has not been provided.

n Concern with regards to disabled access to Portswood Broadway, particularly the chemist.

n Concern that changes to the proposals agreed at Cabinet limit the ability to deliver the objectives set for the Portswood Broadway Project.

n Lack of clarity in respect of the timetable for the trial and subsequent next steps, and the success criteria to be employed for the bus gate trial.

The committee will need a majority vote to make the recommendation to the cabinet. The ruling Labour group have the majority of seats on the committee.

The Conservatives, on the other hand, who have been outspoken about their views to ‘scrap the scheme immediately’ only have two members of the committee.