Plans to close car park scrapped after opposition

The town council initially wanted to create more space for outdoor dining

The decision to scrap the proposed closure of a car park has been labelled "a victory for common sense" by one councillor.

In February, Sudbury Town Council in Suffolk agreed to go ahead with its pilot scheme to shut part of Market Hill to traffic between May and September.

However, it would have seen parking bays at the north end removed in order to create more space for outdoor dining and events.

Following mounting opposition, a county council spokesperson said it withdrew proposals partly due to "the potential detrimental impact to footfall and trade".

Paul Clover, a Conservative councillor on Babergh District Council, said it was a victory for common sense, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Sudbury Chamber of Commerce surveyed 53 businesses about the proposed scheme.

'So biased'

"The takeaway here is that if a council is looking to introduce a change of circumstance that impacts residents and business stakeholders alike then they are duty bound to fully engage with the electorate that they represent," he added.

"In this instance, very little effort has been made to find out what people thought."

On the other hand, Green councillor Tim Regester, who welcomed the scheme, said he was astounded by the county council’s reversal.

"This experiment was consulted upon two years ago, there was no need for the chamber of commerce to survey businesses with a survey so biased, it left no option for any respondent to express support for the experiment," he said.

“I do not recall the chamber professing any view on the plans two years ago, but now they are animated enough to actually do something.”