Controversial road closures in St Albans will be lifted until next spring after councillors delayed plans for trials into the possible pedestrianisation of the city centre.
St Albans District Council will ask Hertfordshire County Council to reopen High Street and George Street to traffic as soon as possible, with the closures expected to return in April.
The trials were originally planned to start in January and February, but have been pushed back after councillors raised concerns about keeping the roads shut at the same time as Affinity Water work along Batchwood Drive.
A number of towns across Hertfordshire introduced social distancing measures last year to allow for more space between pedestrians. In St Albans, this included closing High Street by Holywell Hill, and George Street to traffic, which have allowed businesses and visitors to take advantage of extra room.
At a meeting of the district council’s public realm committee on December 13, councillors backed plans to make the road closure of Market Place permanent, as well as resuming trials on surrounding roads when appropriate.
Some businesses raised concerns that closures have resulted in a narrow window to receive deliveries, and emergency services have also indicated that, if made permanent, the changes could affect response times.
In a letter to councillors, Sean Comerford, fire district commander for Dacorum and St Albans, said the fire service would oppose any one-way system, leading to those plans being abandoned by the committee.
Mr Comerford added during any trials, most planters along High Street should be removed, the access gate should be widened and businesses should ensure tables and chairs are kept to designated areas.
Conservative councillor Annie Brewster proposed amending the motion to back trials to suggest they can only take place if emergency services were satisfied response times would not be negatively impacted. This was unanimously passed.
When the trials resume next spring, High Street will only be closed on weekends, with two-way traffic on weekdays. This was originally going to be trialled after an assessment of the current measures with minor alterations, but councillors agreed to swap the order of the process.
Market Place will remain closed seven days a week permanently after councillors backed the current measures by seven to four votes.
To assess whether the trials are a success, the district and county council will place devices on nearby roads to assess the traffic flow on surrounding roads, as well as working with St Albans Business Improvement District for data on the impact on business.
The project board, which includes the county council and other stakeholders, will need to meet before the roads can be officially reopened.
The committee’s Liberal Democrat chairman Cllr Anthony Rowlands told members he was hoping to meet with the board "as soon as possible" but was unable to say when this could be.
The final decision on pedestrianisation will be made by Hertfordshire County Council, but they have previously indicated any changes would need the support of the district council.
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