Chandos Road in Redland could be pedestrianised

BBC Chandos Road, RedlandBBC
Chandos Road could be closed to traffic, making more space for cafes, pubs and restaurants to install outdoor seating

A popular road could be pedestrianised under new plans to close it to cars and make space for outdoor seating.

The plans to pedestrianise Chandos Road in Redland follow a successful scheme on nearby Cotham Hill, which was closed to traffic in April last year.

The Cotham Hill scheme was initially temporary, but Bristol City Council said it will now be made permanent.

A public consultation on the Chandos Road scheme will be held early next year.

If closed to traffic, this would make more space for cafes, pubs and restaurants to install outdoor seating, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service

Cabinet member for transport, Don Alexander, said: "The trial pedestrianisation of Cotham Hill was a huge success and has shown how popular pedestrianisation schemes can be.

"We secured funding to make the Cotham Hill pedestrianisation permanent and we will now look to introduce a similar scheme for Chandos Road in Redland."

Chandos Road, Redland
Bristol City Council will consult the public on the scheme early next year

There are many independent cafes and restaurants on Chandos Road, but the street has narrow pavements and a lack of bicycle parking.

The road hosts an annual street party, the Chandos Road Festival, which returned this September after a two-year break due to the pandemic.

Mr Alexander added: "As we move forward with the proposals, the details of the scheme will be designed with the local community.

"I would strongly encourage all local residents to make their voice heard and respond to the consultation when it is published, whether they support the proposals or not."

Works needed to close the road to cars would be funded by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca).

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