Cars set to be banned from Colchester High Street

Essex County Council said locals had shown a "clear desire" for the temporary vehicle ban to be made permanent

Vehicles could be banned from a town centre as a council considers whether to make a temporary ban permanent.

Essex County Council is proposing that the traffic ban, which has been in place on Colchester High Street for two years, should remain between 07:00 and 19:00.

A "robust and meaningful consultation" had already shown a "clear desire" for a permanent ban, the authority said.

A formal consultation is now under way and will last until 15 April.

Temporary restrictions were introduced in June 2020 as part of the council's "Safer, Greener, Healthier" initiative and to enable social distancing after the first Covid-19 lockdown.

The council plans to keep the rules from the Head Street junction to the Museum Street junction - and drivers will not be able to access High Street from West Stockwell Street, East Stockwell Street, George Street and Maidenburgh Street.

Buses, taxis and drivers with blue badges will still be permitted to use the zone.

The council plans to keep the rules from the Head Street junction to the Museum Street junction - and drivers will not be able to access High Street from West Stockwell Street, East Stockwell Street, George Street and Maidenburgh Street

"Following their introduction, extensive engagement and consultation has taken place with local people, and there is a clear desire to see a set of permanent restrictions which will promote Colchester High Street as a highly attractive area for pedestrians, shoppers, visitors and businesses by restricting its use to through traffic," a council report said.

Bill Nettelfield, who runs Bill and Berts gift shop in the town centre, said he is worried the ban will drive potential customers away.

"Getting the cars out of the high street isn't such a bad idea," he said, "but where does it end, we've got all these out of town shopping areas where you can just drove to and there's free parking - is that going to drive more and more footfall away from the town?".

Neil Gibb, from Mersea Island, who has run social enterprises in Colchester, said that "in theory it could improve the quality of the town centre".

"[But] we have to think about how do we improve the area rather than how do we just close the road because the buses are a mess in Colchester," he said.

The scheme is part of a wider plan - funded by £7m from the government's Active Travel Fund - to enhance cycling and walking routes in Braintree, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Colchester and Wickford, and introduce 20mph areas and new School Streets.