New £80,000 security gates on Gloucester's Eastgate Street blamed for turning the area into a 'ghost town'
Councillor Sajid Patel says closing the street to traffic at night makes it feel shut off and is damaging the local night-time economy
There are concerns the £80,000 gates installed in Gloucester’s Eastgate Street have contributed to turning the area into a “ghost town”.
Bi-folding gates were installed earlier this year to replace the bollards which stop traffic travelling down Eastgate Street at night every weekend.
The black gates, which include the city’s coat of arms, are used instead of the bollards which enforce the traffic road closure near GL1 from 10.30pm to 5am every Friday and Saturday and on bank holiday Sundays.
But Gloucester City Councillor Sajid Patel (C, Barton and Tredworth) has raised concerns he has over the gates’ impact on the night time economy in the area.
He asked about it at Thursday’s (September 18) full council meeting after its costs were revealed to a member of the public.
The total cost including its design, manufacture, groundworks and installation, was around £80,000.
It was paid for with contributions of £20,000 from Gloucestershire County Council, £20,000 from Safer High Street fund, £10,000 community safety fund, £8,000 from Gloucester Business Improvement District and £8,000 from the City Council and other contributions.
Replacing the bollards with gates was agreed as a more cost-effective and reliable solution.
But Councillor Patel believes the gates are hurting businesses there.
“I went for a walk about two weeks ago on a Friday evening about 11.15pm – Eastgate Street was a ghost town. “Hardly anybody there. Since the old Liquid nightclub has closed, it is deserted."
Council leader Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) said the gates were approved by the previous Conservative administration.
He said a night club closing is outside the council’s remit.
“A club might reopen in the same place,” he said.
“It seems like a logical thing to do. I don’t think the gates have any influence over the nightclub closing. “I haven’t been into a nightclub for years and years and years."
He said the council will explore how to change the ambiance of Eastgate Street and make the night time economy there more vibrant.