Residents and business owners in Knaresborough are being asked to give their opinions on whether the town’s Market Place should be pedestrianised.
Knaresborough Town Council has begun canvassing opinion on whether to pedestrianise a large section of Market Place.
The current suggestion is for the area from the phone boxes to the market cross to be pedestrianised, which would mean the removal of 14 car parking spaces and cars being prohibited from the loop around the market.
The roads surrounding that section, including the bottom of Market Place, Castlegate and the top area near Caffe Nero would still be available for car use.
Cllr Christine Willoughby said the plans were at “a very early stage” but she hopes people will back the idea. She said:
“In an ideal world, it would be a nice thing to do in the town. I visit large, open markets in foreign cities and just think how nice they are. I’d like to see it happen here, but we have to have support from residents and businesses before taking it to the next stage.”
Read more:
- Knaresborough chamber plans to ‘build back’ after bitter fallout over BID
- Knaresborough residents urged to have say on future of council services
Residents are being asked to share their opinions on pedestrianisation in a survey that aims ‘to help share the future of the town’. The survey closes on January 27.
Cllr Willoughby said the town council was conscious of how pedestrianisation might affect businesses on Market Place and it had asked Knaresborough Chamber of Trade to speak to members.
She added the idea had circulated for years but had never come to fruition, but she hoped that with the support of local businesses and residents it could finally happen.
If the town supports the proposal, the next stage would be to contact North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority. It also earns income from the car park.
Paper copies of the survey are also available to collect from Knaresborough Library or by contacting the town council on 01423 864080 or [email protected].
