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05

Aug 2021

Last Updated: 04/08/2021
Politics
Politics

Could the Ginnel closure be permanent? Decision looms at end of month

by John Plummer

| 05 Aug, 2021
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Traffic was barred from the narrow street in Harrogate town centre last year from 5pm until 9am as part of social distancing measures and to support the nighttime economy. But more than a fortnight after lockdown restrictions ended, the closure remains in place.

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The Ginnel closure

A decision will be made at the end of the month on whether to keep the Ginnel in Harrogate closed to traffic.

Traffic was barred from the narrow road last year from 5pm until 9am each day as part of social distancing measures and to support the nighttime economy.

More than a fortnight after lockdown restrictions ended, the route remains closed to vehicles for 16 hours a day.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, when it would reopen or whether the closure would be made permanent.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager at the council, said:

“The closure of the Ginnel supports a number of local businesses with outdoor seating.
"While we recognise that customers can use indoor space, we feel that the continued support for outdoor space should remain in place over the summer months to help businesses and to enable customers to meet in the open air.
"This closure will be reviewed at the end of August.”