Agenda item

The report considers the changes proposed in the petition and whether it would be possible to achieve the aims stated in the petition by implementing these changes or other possible options.

Resolved:

a)   That the petition be acknowledged, noting its request for Fossgate to be pedestrianised, and its aim to provide “enough room to accommodate pavement café licenses and the needs of our local disabled community”;

b)   That the significant amount of analysis and consultation previously undertaken on the issue be acknowledged, and the fact be noted that there is no consensus amongst users on the street, with some businesses and users supporting further traffic restrictions, and other residents and businesses opposing any further (permanent) restrictions;

c)   That it be acknowledged that implementing further permanent access restrictions in the street would not enable licensing of more pavement cafes, as it would not be possible to place tables and chairs in the carriageway (due to the need for emergency vehicle access and some limited vehicular access during the day) and it would only be possible to place cafes on footways where a minimum 1.5m width remains available for footway users to get past;

d)   That it be acknowledged that CYC cannot support the removal of kerb delineation between the footways and the carriageway as this would transform Fossgate into a level surface shared space and this type of design is currently under a national moratorium and is not supported by national design and accessibility guidance;

e)   That Option A and Option E (as outlined on pages 234 and 239 respectively of the report for Agenda Item 6) be approved. Closures are to be managed as events and organisers to ensure all required permissions are in place, including support of the Security Advisory Group, and they are able to meet the events’ costs;

f)     That further work be undertaken as part of the Local Transport Strategy and Local Transport Plan to Investigate options for vehicles to turn around near Franklin’s Yard to enable further consideration of part pedestrianisation of the street in future. This work will also need to consider whether the street should enable two-way movement for cyclists.

Reasons: To support the needs of businesses and users who support the pedestrianisation of the street and want to see more café and event type use, whilst acknowledging the need to retain sufficient footway width and emergency access at all times, and the needs of other businesses, residents, and visitors to retain limited vehicular access to the street during the day.

The Director of Environment, Transport and Planning introduced the report, acknowledging that this issue had also challenged previous administrations. He noted that Fossgate had been refurbished five years ago, and that officers viewed this issue within the Transport Strategy, and a “no” decision now would not necessarily mean “no” forever.

The Head of Highway Access and Development presented the report itself, stating that the 2022 survey suggested very low vehicle use, but not completely absent of vehicles. Pedestrian café licensing would not be possible currently due to access requirements, and government guidance currently disallows the dropping of curbs. Shared use of not only vehicles and pedestrians but also cyclists would have an impact on people with protected characteristics, and the air quality point was not addressed within the report because the low number of vehicles on Fossgate did not make it a significant measurable factor.

The Executive Member stressed that the decision being made today lay with him, and officers were not responsible for this other than in an advisory capacity. He stated that there was a shared desire to extend shared foot streets to areas like Fossgate but the council would not progress with these ideals regardless of other factors. There were other views among residents and also technical issues of access. He stated that the street was simply not wide enough for permanent pavement café in terms of being able to allow access for emergency vehicles but temporary events such as the festival were possible with street marshals. He suggested  traders could apply for full day closures for the year and plan around this for events.

He stated that levelling off the road was not possible at present due to government moratorium. He acknowledged Mr Brennan’s point that he would love to see an inclusive, safe way of doing this but further work would be needed before this was possible.

Resolved:

     i.        That the petition be acknowledged, noting its request for Fossgate to be pedestrianised, and its aim to provide “enough room to accommodate pavement café licenses and the needs of our local disabled community”;

    ii.        That the significant amount of analysis and consultation previously undertaken on the issue be acknowledged, and the fact be noted that there is no consensus amongst users on the street, with some businesses and users supporting further traffic restrictions, and other residents and businesses opposing any further (permanent) restrictions;

  iii.        That it be acknowledged that implementing further permanent access restrictions in the street would not enable licensing of more pavement cafes, as it would not be possible to place tables and chairs in the carriageway (due to the need for emergency vehicle access and some limited vehicular access during the day) and it would only be possible to place cafes on footways where a minimum 1.5m width remains available for footway users to get past;

  iv.        That it be acknowledged that CYC cannot support the removal of kerb delineation between the footways and the carriageway as this would transform Fossgate into a level surface shared space and this type of design is currently under a national moratorium and is not supported by national design and accessibility guidance;

   v.        That Option A and Option E (as outlined on pages 234 and 239 respectively of the report for Agenda Item 6) be approved. Closures are to be managed as events and organisers to ensure all required permissions are in place, including support of the Security Advisory Group, and they are able to meet the events’ costs;

  vi.        That further work be undertaken as part of the Local Transport Strategy and Local Transport Plan to Investigate options for vehicles to turn around near Franklin’s Yard to enable further consideration of part pedestrianisation of the street in future. This work will also need to consider whether the street should enable two-way movement for cyclists.

Reasons: To support the needs of businesses and users who support the pedestrianisation of the street and want to see more café and event type use, whilst acknowledging the need to retain sufficient footway width and emergency access at all times, and the needs of other businesses, residents, and visitors to retain limited vehicular access to the street during the day.