York's gift card scheme for shoppers hit by anti-terror works

A £25 gift card scheme, aimed at luring shoppers back to a city centre disrupted by work to install anti-terrorism bollards, is to be extended.

Work to install the barriers in parts of York began earlier this year.

However, disruption caused by the roadworks has led to a big fall in customer numbers, traders have said.

Now a scheme offering shoppers the chance to win a £25 York Gift Card in some shops is to be continued in other streets affected by the work.

The gift card scheme in place on Goodramgate was the result of a collaboration between City of York Council (CYC), York BID and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

It saw businesses immediately affected by the works offering customers a chance to win a gift card when they made a purchase at a shop on that street.

Now, along with the FSB, the BID has approached the council to continue the promotion in other streets affected by the works.

As well as extending the voucher scheme, enhanced signage highlighting that businesses are open would be installed on the protective fencing around the works, the council added.

Councillor Peter Kilbane said there was never an "ideal time to disrupt businesses" in York and offered an apology to those affected by the work to install the anti-terror measures.

Mr Kilbane, the executive member for economy and transport, said installing the bollards in the city centre was "the first and most disruptive phase of work".

He said it was likely to be early next year before the bollards system was "fully up and running".

Neil Ferris, the director of place at CYC, said it was "a substantial piece of work" to make the anti-terror bollards strong enough to stop vehicles being used as weapons,

Mr Ferris said timing the work to avoid school holidays, the summer period or other events in the city centre would have "prolonged the overall programme and significantly increase overall costs".

"We understand the immediate impact of this construction on businesses, and we are sorry that it's caused some challenges," he said.

City of York Council said the next streets to have bollards installed on them will be:

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