Traffic ban Bid to ‘get off fence’ on pedestrianisation
BUSINESS leaders in Clifton Village have pledged to come down off the fence as the debate about the controversial pedestrianisation of a key shopping street intensifies.
The new chair of the Clifton Bid (Business Improvement District) has promised to end the organisation’s impartiality over the trial which has seen one end of Princess Victoria Street closed to cars and transformed into a cafe culture friendly, pedestrianised street.
The Clifton Bid team, which is funded through a tax scheme that sees local businesses pay extra on their rates, has also announced it is hiring an independent consultant to conduct a study on the impact of the pedestrianisation on Princess Victoria Street and the wider area.
The pedestrianisation scheme was controversial even before it began, with local business owners and other residents staging mock funeral protests predicting the move to stop vehicles from driving down a 100-yard section of Princess Victoria Street would kill off many local businesses.
The trial scheme began in the middle of August, will be reviewed in six months but could last for 18 months before council chiefs decide whether to make the arrangement permanent.
Many shopkeepers have said that in the three months since the start of the trial, footfall and business in their stores is down. Last week, the Post reported that more than 100 had signed an open letter objecting to the trial and saying it is causing them to suffer a downturn in trade.
But other businesses in the area say the pedestrianised area, which has picnic tables, benches and greenery installed there, has brought more people to the area and boosted business.
During the debate before the introduction of the scheme, the Clifton Bid organisation said it had to remain impartial.
But now, with a new chair – Louise Dark – the organisation said it will support businesses on the issue more.
Ms Dark is one half of the couple who have run Otomi, a Mexican products business on nearby Boyce’s Avenue for the past 14 years. The Bid annual general meeting saw members voting to hire an independent consultant to gather evidence and information on the effects of the pedestrianisation.
The Bid team has hired a company called The Assembly Line, and in a message to Bid members, Louise Dark said the review of the impact has to be completed soon, within the six month deadline in mid-February when the council will take a first look at the scheme.
“The team will be visiting the village soon and come highly recommended,” said Ms Dark, in a message to Bid members seen by the Post. “This review needs to be presented to BCC before their six-month review has been completed.
“It has been brought to our attention that Clifton Bid has (been) seen to be sitting on the fence when it comes to pedestrianisation.
“Initially Clifton Bid had to be impartial as there were different points of view from the businesses. This has changed as time has gone on. We have agreed to contribute financial assistance to the production of the open letter and are happy to offer support wherever it is needed. We will keep the conversation going and try to apply pressure on the council as they will not engage with businesses and individuals,” she added.