THE much maligned plan to improve road safety in St Albans city centre will come under the spotlight at a public meeting arranged by those responsible for managing the project.

The multi-million pound scheme which saw parts of St Peter's Street closed off for several weeks over the summer was heavily criticised by residents and district councillors after it came in more than £3 million over budget.

To investigate the reasons behind the mounting costs, members of the Hertfordshire County Council's scrutiny committee have set up a public meeting to listen to people's concerns.

It is hoped the meeting will help identify the problems that beset the city centre scheme and draw up lessons which could be learnt for the management of future safety schemes across Hertfordshire.

Hertfordshire County Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Chairman of the St. Albans City Centre Highways Project Topic Group said: "The objective of this scrutiny is to learn where things have worked and where they went wrong and how projects like this need to be managed in future.

"The group is an all-party one and we will not hesitate in making recommendations for change if there needs to be change in processes, but we do need the views of these closely involved with this project to help us reach our decisions."

The group will discuss the management of the project, the public consultation and the financial planning involved. The overall design and traffic arrangements will not be up for discussion.

The meeting takes place from 7.30pm at Marlborough school in Watling street, St Albans, on October 12. Anyone wanting to take part in the debate is asked to submit a short written statement of no more than 500 words to Emma Lund at Democratic Services, Hertfordshire County Council, County Hall, Hertford, SG13 8DN or by emailing emma.lund@hertscc.gov.uk. All submissions should arrive by 9am on October 5.