Writing Task 1: Map / Plan (change over time): Question 6

The maps below show the centre of the town of Fenmarsh in 1998 and in 2024. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Map 1 (1998): Fenmarsh town centre is a roughly square area enclosed on all four sides by a ring road. Bridge Street runs from north to south through the middle of the town and was, in 1998, a two-way road with parking bays along both sides. In the north-west section, a row of shops faced onto Bridge Street. Directly opposite, in the north-east section, stood the Town Hall, with Fenmarsh Green, a small park, in front of it. Halfway along the west side of Bridge Street was a bus stop. In the south-west section was a surface car park, and in the south-east section stood a bank and a second row of shops. Bridge Street met the ring road at a roundabout at its northern end and at a second roundabout at its southern end.

Map 2 (2024): By 2024, the central section of Bridge Street, between the two roundabouts, had been closed to traffic and paved over as a pedestrianised precinct, with trees and benches installed along both sides. The parking bays and the bus stop that had stood on Bridge Street were removed; a new bus station was built on the ring road on the north side of the town. The surface car park in the south-west section was replaced by a multi-storey car park on the same site. A new row of shops was built on the east side of the pedestrianised street, facing the original shops in the north-west section. A cycle lane was added running around the inside of the ring road. The Town Hall, Fenmarsh Green and the bank in the south-east section remained in their original positions.