Oo la la! Traders want a Euro feel

Owners of the Wood Street cafs Panache and Woods, along with the King's Hotel, are urging the council to allow them on-street seating for customers.

Fran Cutmore, the owner of Panache, has called for a more European outlook. She says the street now has a high-quality feel, with its mix of cafs, gift shops, electrical shops and other outlets.

"Wood Street is now a nice place to be," she said. "We have high-quality shops like Bang and Olufsen as well as cafes and gift shops.

"Many of our customers have said they would like to sit outside on the pavements like in many European cities."

To allow seating, the pavements in Wood Street would have to be widened to allow access for wheelchair users and pushchairs.

But some traders are concerned this could lead to a form of pedestrianisation.

Colin Zabel, owner of Topdrug Pharmacy, said: "Pedestrianisation would be of little benefit to me.

"Deliveries come through the front door because there is no rear entrance.

"Much of my custom comes from people who want to able to park up and pop in."

Mike Edwards of Total Flooring, said: "The biggest problem with any pedestrianisation of the street is with deliveries. The number of lorries down here early in the morning is considerable because very few of the shops have a rear entrance for deliveries."

Elaine Young, proprietor of Youngs gift shop, said pedestrianisation would be a bad idea.

She said: "I would not be happy as it would cause problems with access. The new on-street parking has been a big help. People can park for 15 to 20 minutes and get what they need."

Coun Fionuala Foley (Con Old Town and Lawn) said: "We are meeting with local businesses to discuss the issues and listen to their views. Some businesses depend on passing trade and others depend on pedestrians so we want to hear what the traders think."

The meeting will take place in the Kings Arms on July 27 at 2pm.

Anthony Osborne