Street will stay shut
By Jo Deeks on Thursday, 10th June 1999.
TRADERS' hopes that a Haverhill street will be opened to traffic again have been dashed.
Members of St Edmundsbury Borough Council's Transport and Works Committee agreed to a temporary partial opening of Queen Street, but voted against making the arrangement permanent.
Councillors agreed bollards should stay in placeat the Camps Road end of the street to prevent through traffic.
The Lower Downs Slade end of Queen Street will be open to two-way traffic between 10am and 4pm.
The arrangement will allow access to the Queen's Head pub carpark, which is currently blocked by building work at Keebles Yard. After 4pm, the street will be opened up as normal and part of it will revert to one-way traffic.
Access will be only to the off-street parking at the pub and for deliveries, and parking will only be allowed in the bays after 4pm.
Police had indicated support for this option but not for restricted daytime access, which caused enforcement problems before the street was closed in August 1998.
Unrestricted access, which would encourage through traffic, was also opposed by police.
Steve Boor, special projects officer for St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said there had been some discussion about opening the street up to traffic again, but most councillors wanted to see it stay closed.
"There is a traffic study for Haverhilljust about to start and one of the issues I would want to look at is the implications of opening up Queen Street," he said.
Since bollards were put up in 1998 to prevent traffic entering the street between 10am and 4pm, and the town's market was moved to the High Street, traders in Queen Street have complained of a drastic fall in takings.
Some have called for the street to be opened up to traffic again.
Members of St Edmundsbury Borough Council's Transport and Works Committee agreed to a temporary partial opening of Queen Street, but voted against making the arrangement permanent.
Councillors agreed bollards should stay in placeat the Camps Road end of the street to prevent through traffic.
The Lower Downs Slade end of Queen Street will be open to two-way traffic between 10am and 4pm.
The arrangement will allow access to the Queen's Head pub carpark, which is currently blocked by building work at Keebles Yard. After 4pm, the street will be opened up as normal and part of it will revert to one-way traffic.
Access will be only to the off-street parking at the pub and for deliveries, and parking will only be allowed in the bays after 4pm.
Police had indicated support for this option but not for restricted daytime access, which caused enforcement problems before the street was closed in August 1998.
Unrestricted access, which would encourage through traffic, was also opposed by police.
Steve Boor, special projects officer for St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said there had been some discussion about opening the street up to traffic again, but most councillors wanted to see it stay closed.
"There is a traffic study for Haverhilljust about to start and one of the issues I would want to look at is the implications of opening up Queen Street," he said.
Since bollards were put up in 1998 to prevent traffic entering the street between 10am and 4pm, and the town's market was moved to the High Street, traders in Queen Street have complained of a drastic fall in takings.
Some have called for the street to be opened up to traffic again.
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