Road closed ahead

Campaigners are proposing to close Southwell’s main shopping street once a week to encourage more trade.

Members of the 20’s Plenty For Us road safety group want King Street to be traffic-free on Saturday mornings.

The group’s chairman, Mr John Lightwood, said it would benefit traders and make a safer environment for shoppers.

“I think just being able to walk down the street in a relaxed way would attract more people,” he said.

“It would be much more of a community feel and encourage people to get out for a morning in Southwell.

“It would make it a much more attractive environment.”

Mr Lightwood, of Kirklington Road, Southwell, said cafés and restaurants could have tables outside their premises, shops could display goods on the pavement and there could be street entertainment.

The group, campaigning for a 20mph limit in Southwell, is concerned about how the car dominates life in the town.

Mr Lightwood said on Saturday mornings around 300 people could be crammed on to 7ft-pavement on King Street, while around 35 cars take up the rest of the space on the street.

“In those terms it does make it rather one-sided to the car,” said Mr Lightwood.

More than 400 people have signed a petition backing the group’s bid for 20mph speed limits on Southwell’s roads.

The secretary of Southwell Traders’ Association, Mr Robert Beckett, thought closing the road on Saturday mornings was an excellent idea.

He said: “It is true that traders would wish people not to use their car to go to out of town stores, but to leave their car at home and use the shops in Southwell. That is what we’re all about.”

But Mr Beckett said some businesses had regular deliveries on Saturday mornings.

He said: “I would have thought after consultation with those people and others affected it could be well worthwhile future consideration.”

Mr Beckett said pedestrianising King Street could create extra traffic on Church Street and The Ropewalk.

The landlord of the Admiral Rodney, Mr Neil McKeechan, said: “If it is safer to walk and encourages more people into the town centre to use the shops and services it could be a good thing.

“From a personal point of view, however, it puts my carpark totally out of use.

“I have some elderly people who use the pub on a Saturday morning and lunchtime and there is a possibility of them not being able to get there quite so easily if the road is closed.”

Mr Jonathan Grieve, whose family own Gossips Coffee House, had no objections.

He said they put tables and chairs outside when the road was closed for the summer Continental markets, and they were well used.

But the owner of florists Poppy Design, Mrs Donna Straw, disagreed with the idea.

“We are a delivery service and Saturday is a very busy day for deliveries,” she said.

“We need to load a van and it is easier outside the shop than having to walk through the market with expensive items that people have paid for.”