King St ‘closure’ divides opinion
Pedestrianisation plans fuel further debate for firms
THE pedestrianisation of King Street has received a mixed reaction from Carmarthen traders, as businesses prepare for its introduction next week in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
FOR years and years, debate has raged in Carmarthen over the idea of pedestrianising one of its key and most wellloved streets.
King Street, home to independent shops, cafes, hair salons and other businesses, will be closed off from next week for the majority of the working day, as part of changes first reported on at the beginning of this month.
From 10am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday, no vehicles - not even delivery vehicles - will be able to travel down the oneway street. The changes will also apply to the adjoining Queen Street, nearby Quay Street and Bridge Street, and Guildhall and Nott Squares.
The pros and cons of restricting vehicle access, particularly in King Street, have been bandied about Carmarthen for years - generations, even - with opinion split on whether pedestrianisation will boost this part of town or, as some have predicted, act as “the final straw” in its demise.
Back in 2016, Carmarthenshire Council unveiled big plans to regenerate an area of Carmarthen which included the pedestrianisation of King Street. Artists’ impressions were even drawn up and a consultation on the plans was held for traders and the general public to offer feedback.
Then, as now, the issue has caused a stir. Four years ago, those plans - which included the creation of more delivery bays on Spilman Street (parallel to King Street) and the possibility of a barrier at the top of the street - ultimately came to nothing.
This time, in the uncertain world created by Covid-19 and the havoc it has wreaked, the pedestrianisation is going ahead in an attempt to assist with social distancing, given the narrow pavements that align both sides of the road.
“I’ve been here on this street since 1985,” said Hugh Evans, who runs a family butcher shop in the middle of King Street.
“In 2004, the council decided to widen the pavements and do away with parking spaces - there were 26 spaces, today there are only a handful, half of which are disabled bays.
“I was of the opinion then that change was a disaster and this is just taking it a step further. Of course, it’s being done in the name of health and safety, because of Covid19, but they were going to do it anyway at some point.”
Mr Evans has 24-hour parking at the back of his shop. It won’t be 24 hours anymore as he won’t be able to access it for six hours each day. More of a concern for him, however, is how he is going to get his meat delivered.
“I have deliveries coming from different places and they can’t all be here by 10am,” he said.
“So, what will the delivery men do? They will have to park up at the top of the street, maybe risk getting a ticket and walk all the way down carrying a slab of beef.”
Mr Evans said he was
not consulted on the pedestrianisation of King Street at all. The first he heard about it was in the
Carmarthen Journal last week.
“They (the council) already know my opinion and they don’t care. It’s like they have a policy - how can we drive people out of town? It’s already happening but this is just turning another screw.
“It’s so frustrating, and I think it will be the final straw for King Street.”
Lucy Evans has co-run and co-owned clothing store Me and Luce with her sister Emma Lewis for the past four years.
For all independent businesses, lockdown was a hammer blow, and anything that could, potentially, help increase trade is most welcome. Whether these changes will or not remains to be seen, but she is willing to embrace them.
“I think it’s a nice idea, in theory, not having to worry about cars on the road, and it’s something that could create a different vibe on the street,” said Mrs Evans.
“I think it could be a positive thing, but our clientele is different to that of some other businesses, so I understand they might have issues. For example, closing off the street could have an adverse effect on the elderly, who get dropped off next to the pavement.
“For us, the one major concern is deliveries. We get deliveries all the time and there’s no depending on the time of day, so they will have to try and park on Spilman Street and walk through one of the lanes.”
Those lanes are called Bank Lane and Conduit Lane. The former comes out opposite Me and Luce, while the latter is further up the street towards St Peter’s Church.
Both connect King Street with Spilman Street, but from next Monday they will be classed as ‘one-way pedestrian routes’ – Bank Lane will be only for pedestrians walking from Spilman Street to King Street, and Conduit Lane will be for pedestrians walking in the opposite direction.
In short, you won’t be able to use the same lane to walk and back and forth.
“I’m trying to see both sides of it,” said Mrs Evans.
“I don’t think that all of a sudden it’s going to transform the street just by closing it off to cars, but as someone who has young children it’s nice to think that they could walk down the road freely and safely, so we are trying to see it as a positive.”
The council has not put a definitive time-period on the pedestrianisation of King Street or indeed the other areas in the town that will be affected. The changes have been drawn up under an 18-month ‘temporary order’, put in place in the wake of Covid19, but the council insist that the length of the order does not necessarily reflect the length of time that changes will be implemented, stressing that the situation will be “kept under review”.
However, Mrs Evans, like many on the street, suspects the changes could be made permanent, and that the council “won’t go back now”.
She, like Mr Evans from the nearby butcher shop, said she was not consulted about the changes at all by the council, and that the first she heard about them was when a letter got posted through the door of the shop one day last week - a day when they were actually closed.
For a hotel, however, which needs to provide access to people 24 hours a day, inconvenience doesn’t cover it.
The Spilman Hotel sits in the middle of Spilman Street, but its car park is at the rear, accessible only via King Street. From next Monday, guests will not be able to check-in with cars, unless they do so before 10am or after 4pm.
“It’s not just a hotel to us, it’s our home,” said Ruth Davies, who owns the Spilman Hotel along with her husband Austin.
“My husband is blind and we have a blue badge for our car, but from next week we can’t even access our own home during certain hours. If I have to take him for an appointment in the middle of the day, how do we get out? How do we get back? Wait until 4pm?
“I just don’t think the council has thought it through, and all the traders on the street that I’ve spoken to feel the same; they are not happy. We’ve been told that the changes aren’t permanent, but is it something permanent that’s just being brought in through the back door?
“King Street is not a place where you want to sit out, like other areas in town such as Nott Square and Guildhall Square. This is not a cafe culture street; it’s a working street, a service street. I think it’s devastating.”
For a controversial idea that has been kicked around countless council meetings and caused lengthy disagreements on social media and indeed did so before social media existed, time will tell if changes to King Street will prove inspirational or detrimental.
The council insist the measures being implemented on King Street and throughout Carmarthen, as well as in parts of Llanelli and Ammanford, are temporary, and that they can be reversed at any time.
They also say that feedback from businesses and shoppers alike - which can be conveyed on 01267 234567 or by email at consultation@ carmarthenshire.gov.uk - will help to inform any future decisions on reversing or prolonging pedestrianisation.
“These changes will mean people visiting our town centres can queue safely or walk through busy areas without having to mind passing traffic,” said the Leader of Carmarthenshire Council, Emlyn Dole.
“Bringing in a temporary order gives us the flexibility to make changes if needed, and we are keen to do what’s right for each town. If anyone has any representations to make about these changes, we’d like to hear it.”