Nearly 80% of Harrogate residents want the town centre to keep alfresco dining on a permanent basis.
The Stray Ferret worked with Your Poll by Judge Service to survey nearly 1,500 people in Harrogate.
All surveys with more than 1,000 respondents are statistically valid. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it out.
Should alfresco dining become permanent in Harrogate?
More than 1,100 of respondents (77%) said they want the relaxed rules around alfresco dining to be made permanent.
The other 300 votes were split between “not sure” at 13% and “no” at 9% – giving “yes” the clear majority.
“The pleasure of visiting the town comes from its small size, ease of access and facility for short trips. More alfresco dining gives the town a good atmosphere.” – anon.
“Alfresco dining is the way forward more outdoor spaces should be used. Take a look at the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells a great example.” – anon.
North Yorkshire County Council has already said it would be “happy to review any requests for longer term use of the public highway” for alfresco dining.
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David Bowe, the corporate director for business and environmental services at the county council, previously said the authority has received “really positive feedback”.
Should alfresco dining become permanent?
“Create a park & ride facility to allow residents to park outside homes and encourage visitors to use buses into town and encourage alfresco dining and drinking.” – anon.
“I believe Harrogate should embrace the alfresco cafes and bars, also thinking about disabled access and access for people with prams.” – anon.
There seems to be a real strength of feeling from Harrogate residents about alfresco dining. That was clearly reflected when the Blues Bar and The Empress faced the threat of losing all their tables and chairs.
The Blues Bar eventually needed to remove their tables and chairs but not before it got 3000 people to back their fight in an online petition.
We will publish the full results of our survey on Wednesday.
