One end of Shambles has closed this morning (Monday) to allow bollards to be installed.
Many traders are concerned that this will reduce footfall on the famous street.
Phil Pinder of the Shambles Area Traders’ Association says it could cost the businesses £250K. He asked City of York Council a number of questions about the work and they have now answered them – see below.
Why have Shambles’ cobbles been sacrificed to make way for the bollards, when they could have been built on the Tarmac?
The moving bollards require a smooth surface to operate effectively, but to match the surrounding area as much as possible a smooth stone finish will be installed rather than concrete. The specific location of the bollards was chosen to ensure they do not interfere with the pedestrian desire line (the route people most often walk along) along Pavement, and to minimise the number of bollards needed to secure the street.
Weekend working – why is there no work at weekends to speed installation up?
Because of the complex nature of the project, out of hours or weekend working would need to be coordinated with a range of partners including utility companies. This option would not necessarily reduce the time the works would take, but would significantly increase in the overall costs.
Pedestrian access at weekends – given the lack of work at weekends, and during the 7 days work is suspended for concrete to dry, why can’t a pedestrian bridge be built over the works to allow people back in via Pavement?
A pedestrian bridge in an option that has been investigated, but unfortunately the confined space would not allow for anything to be installed which would be accessible to everyone. Some works do pause whilst the concrete is curing (which can take up to 7 days), but some other works will still continue on site during this time, so it’s not always the case that the whole project pauses for that time.
Pedestrian access numbers – Phil was told that Gough and Kelly could limit the number of pedestrians entering Shambles on safety grounds. Is this right, and what are the maximum numbers of pedestrians allowed?
We may ask Gough and Kelly to monitor the situation but as there are multiple entrances and exits to the Shambles there is no established maximum in terms of the number of people on the street.
Business rates reduction – Traders estimate the disruption will cost traders up to £250K. Manchester chose to give its traders a rebate on business rates. Will CYC do the same? (Or the rents as many Shambles buildings are CYC owned)
We are not required to provide compensation. Any compensation, if offered, would impact other council services. Please note that the Government has confirmed that businesses are not required to be compensated with public funds due to works in the Highway. Please see here for more information.
Council contacts – Why isn’t Neil Ferris, the relevant CYC director, available to answer questions?
Neil and his officers are answering questions and are giving their time to a range or responsibilities and priorities, of which this hostile vehicle mitigation programme is one.