A petition which proposes the permanent pedestrianisation of areas of the city centre such as George Street and Market Place has been launched despite previous calls to reopen the areas.
These areas of the city have been shut off to cars to allow for social distancing and now several residents and business owners who have noticed benefits such as a reduction in air pollution, are calling for a consultation to be launched to consider making the change permanent.
This is a decision which may spark debate as some businesses had previously worried about their future if cars were completely banned from areas of the city centre.
Sean Hughes who owns Dylans on George Street started the petition to encourage change as his building has often been damaged by large vehicles travelling up the street.
He said: “We have been here for 20 odd years and the amount of damage that has been done to our building is in excess of £20,000 the last three and something had to be done.
“The street is so full of people and all those people trying to walk up a metre-wide pavement is impossible.”
Sean added that he launched the petition so that a consultation would allow people to share their views and encourage progress whether they agree with shutting the street or not.
He said: “When you set up a petition to do something, that’s just your idea and you hope that people will share your view.
“We can’t do anything until there has been a consultation and we want to do it because we don’t want to spend another £20,000 on our building or lose someone because a lorry has driven along the street mounting the pavement.”
The petition which closes on Friday, January 15, 2020 is available here.
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