Plan to ban cars from Gardner Street in Brighton during week

During the first coronavirus lockdown, cafés and restaurants in Gardner Street, Brighton, expanded into the road, as they do at weekends.

But there were problems with disabled access and the latest closure plan has sparked fresh concerns from campaigners.

Brighton and Hove City Council has published a traffic regulation order (TRO) which would restrict “motor vehicles” from travelling along Gardner Street from 11am to 7pm seven days a week.

A second order would authorise moving disabled bays in Gardner Street to nearby Regent Street, with a limited three-hour stay and one personalised bay.

Gardner Street would still be open to emergency vehicles, specialist vehicles for the disabled, cyclists and undertakers.

Paul Loman, director of the Real Junk Food Project, which has a pay-as-you-feel café in the street, is enthusiastic about the proposals.

A map showing Gardner Street and Regent Street

He said: “If you wander down the street now on a weekday, you’ll see that the public act as if the road is already traffic-free and cars and vans have to negotiate round pedestrians.

“During the Covid lockdown, the street was traffic free and it worked well. Gardner Street has a fair proportion of food businesses and so the TRO will benefit the local economy.

“I see there has been some push-back with respect to disability access and parking but the second part of the proposal to move disability parking to Regent Street appears to address this issue.”

But Brighton Access for Disabled Groups Everywhere (Badge) campaigner Pippa Hodge said extended pavement licensing had created “no go” areas for people with wheelchairs, mobility aids and impaired sight.

Last year, Badge and Possability People met the council’s consultant, Mott McDonald, to raise concerns about access for disabled people and to protect the disabled bays from the “sprawl” of café furniture and clothes rails.

Ms Hodge said: “Since November 2021, no further invitations were extended to either disability stakeholder group to discuss the proposals, so prior to the TRO being published we were unaware that the council proposes to fully close Gardner Street.

“This proposal will have a direct and detrimental impact on disabled residents – despite the report recognising that at least one of the bays is essential for a disabled resident.

“The TRO rides roughshod over the residents’ identified needs.

“Imagine waking up one morning to find that the council has erected a barricade across your front door and you are only permitted to leave your home before 11am or after 7pm.”

Gardner Street in August 2021 when the daytime road closures were in place

During the pandemic, Gardner Street was one of the areas in the North Laine subject to an experimental traffic order, closing the road for the same hours proposed now.

In November last year, the environment, transport and sustainability committee agreed to return to pre-pandemic weekend and bank holiday road closures as the weekday closures proved so difficult for blue badge holders.

The council said it was meeting Badge and Possability People soon and would ensure their feedback was “an intrinsic part of the report being considered by councillors” on September 20, when the decision will be made.

The original partial closure in 2020 was a temporary measure as part of initiatives to support businesses in the pandemic, expiring in late 2021. It said: “Since then, we’ve had a large number of residents and businesses contact us asking for the daytime closure to be reinstated.”