MOTORISTS and pedestrians in Ipswich will be 'going Dutch' by Christmas in an imaginative new shared space scheme.On September 5 work will begin at the Alderman park entrance off Handford Road on the new initiative which aims to alter the way people envisage their environment.

MOTORISTS and pedestrians in Ipswich will be 'going Dutch' by Christmas in an imaginative new shared space scheme.

On September 5 work will begin at the Alderman park entrance off Handford Road on the new initiative which aims to alter the way people envisage their environment.

Ipswich has been chosen as one of only seven sites in Europe to have a shared space makeover. The installation is due to take 13 weeks.

In Holland, shared space is a reality and councils have installed imaginative schemes, with high-quality building materials and street art to improve residents' quality of life.

The Ipswich initiative, which will be funded jointly by the European Union and the government, is said to be one of the most advanced of its kind.

It is based on a dragonfly wing design and has been created by Sheils Fynn, consultants working on behalf of Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council.

The purpose is to turn the Handford Road area into a more people-friendly environment and reduce the impact of its 15,000 traffic movements every day on homes and businesses.

The top half of Cullingham Road will be transformed by the installation of a high-quality granite platform, lighting and trees.

A similar scheme will be implemented at Mile End Gateway, while access to Alderman park entrance will become safer.

A welcoming "street door mat", stone platform and lilac lighting will be put in place in the hope of making huge improvements to the environment.

Although all the yellow lines in Handford Road will disappear, it will remain

a restricted parking area.