The permanent pedestrianisation of Cotham Hill was completed in the last week of December with the installation of a new road layout and motorised traffic being banned from some sections.
The scheme follows a two-year trial and a consultation in which the council said there was strong support for keeping the area between Whiteladies Gate and Hampton Lane and between Hampton Park and Abbotsford Road pedestrianised.
We had the opportunity to talk with traders to see how the Christmas season had treated their business and the impacts of the pedestrianisation of the street on their business.
Overall, they had not seen much impact on the business by the pedestrianisation but some outline the area looked nicer.
Here's what we found:
1. Bravas
At Spanish restaurant Bravas, Fabia Selwood-Miller, the Operations Manager, said: “Christmas season’s been good. Not the best weather, which is expected, but it's been good. There's been a lot of road work going on on Cotham Hill for pedestrianisation, which we really fought for. Annoyingly, we had to get rid of our outside for a month, but it's not so bad considering it was meant to be a lot longer. It's definitely nice to have it back, the street looks great. And since we've had it back, we've had a lot of people eating outside, which is lovely, despite the weather. So, yeah, it's worked out really well, I think, for most places on the street, which is great.”
2. Jon Hurst hairdressers
At hairdressing salon Jon Hurst, they were celebrating 20 years of being in Cotham Hill this month. The co-owner of the hairdresser, Claire, said Christmas was “good” and was happy about the pedestrianisation. “When it was being made more permanent, it was pretty disruptive and noisy and dirty, but we prefer it to how it was before they pedestrianised it because there was a lot of traffic noise and fumes and just, you know, it was very, very busy and hectic out there, so we prefer it, it was much nicer than it was.”
3. Flux
At Flux, Karla Flaherty said: “This Christmas has been really good. We’ve been here since May and actually, our turnover and sales have been really good, so not necessarily the picture across Bristol but for us it’s been good. The pedestrian zone has helped with that not in terms of the timing of it because having the road closed in December I think did impact sales so hopefully this year will be better but for customers and people with wheelchairs or mobility issues or buggies and it’s more family-friendly, it's a lot safer, and we do find on a weekend it's full. I’m looking forward to the summer when all the cafes are open, and it will be a nice area in the summer. So, yes, we’re thinking it's been actually quite helpful. I don't know if other shop owners agree, the only thing we’d like the council to sort out is the waste because on a weekend after all the takeaways, it still hasn’t got enough waste or recycling facilities for the volume. So that would be good if that could be sorted.”
4. Pullin's Bakery
At Pullin’s Bakery, Angel, a shop assistant, said the work during the pedestrianisation had its issues but it was worth it. “I know when it was being done, I think it was potentially off-putting for people coming here because when they were kicking up a lot of the cement and stuff which definitely had a nasty smell to it. It wasn’t a very nice atmosphere so that might have negatively affected the business a little but we still had all the usual customers coming in although others would avoid it because it didn't look great. But I think now it’s really nice, so probably attracting more people here. But I haven’t noticed a notable increase in business or anything.”