Bristol's St Mark's Road closure plans shelved after consultation

St Mark's Road in Easton has attracted worldwide attention for its Grand Iftar meal held during Ramadan

A controversial plan to close a Bristol road to traffic has been shelved by the council following a community survey.

The consultation looked at ways government funding could be used to improve St Mark's Road in Easton for pedestrians and cyclists.

More than 50% of comments about the pedestrianisation were opposed to the idea, the survey revealed.

The council said the responses will now be used to produce other options for the street.

A campaigner described the announcement as a victory "for the community".

St Mark's road was named one of the best in the UK in 2019 for the value it placed on diversity and "bringing people together".

The survey also revealed that the most serious problems identified by respondents were pollution and traffic

During the pandemic, the council has created more space for walking and cycling, to aid social distancing, such as widening pavements and providing protected bike lanes.

It has since secured additional government funding to extend and strengthen the temporary measures.

The consultation was held to gain feedback from the community on ways the money could be spent, with one of the proposed options for St Mark's Road being pedestrianisation.

However, the possible closure to traffic, between Henrietta Street and Berwick Road, provoked anger from local traders who claimed the plans would reduce customer footfall.

Following the survey results, the council said the responses will now be used to produce some design options for the street, but that "Pedestrianisation is not being considered".

The council is using additional government funding to improve walking and cycling journeys in the city

Abdul Malik, who owns Pak Butchers, said traders previously felt they had not been properly consulted, but that now "the community has spoken".

"We're looking forward to a repair exercise on St Mark's Road because it really did divide the community, and in many aspects polarise the debate against, you know cars against cycles or pedestrians, and that wasn't what this was about," Mr Malik said.

"We want to see environments that are friendly to our neighbourhood and keep people safe."

The survey received 1,115 responses from the local community, with 511 comments specifically regarding pedestrianisation.

There were 257 objections, 120 in support of the idea, and 134 other suggestions, such as partial closure.