Trafalgar St summer plaza receives warm welcome
The closure of the top of Nelson’s Trafalgar St to traffic for summer has been welcomed by diners, shoppers and business proprietors alike on its first weekend.
Despite a heavy downpour on the first few days of the closure last week, Saturday and Sunday turned on the sunshine for an earlier start to the closure.
After a successful trial run last summer, upper Trafalgar St is being closed for an extra month either side of the main summer tourist season.
Ford’s Restaurant and Bar manager Peter Stevens said closing the street last summer brought a ‘‘really good vibe’’ to the city, and feedback from the public had been good.
‘‘I’m really positive about it. Bring on the sunny weather.’’
Carol and Terry Bartlett welcomed back their favourite Saturday morning coffee spot, outside the Sweet As cafe.
‘‘It’s nice to see it again. It’s our Saturday morning routine,’’ Carol said.
She said the move was good for locals and tourists alike. ‘‘When you go overseas, you see all their squares and plazas – it brings that here into Nelson.’’
Terry said it was a longawaited move, and he hoped it would continue.
‘‘We’ve talked about it for the last 12 years – it’s good to see it finally happen. It should always be like this.’’
The street was closed for the first time last summer, and was an immediate hit with businesses and the public. Many Trafalgar St businesses pitched in to have street entertainment.
The pedestrianised area was used for the Armistice Day event yesterday.
’’It should always be like this.’’
Terry Bartlett, diner