St James's Street could go traffic-free for a day next spring

St James’s Street in Kemp Town could close to traffic for a day next spring, as a first test of whether the street should be pedestrianised.

Gary Wilkinson, a Labour councillor for Kemptown ward, called for the community event at a full council meeting at Hove Town Hall on Thursday 1 October. He also asked for a feasibility study, “with meaningful community engagement”, into longer-term options for St James’s Street and St George’s Road.

He said the study “should consider disabled access, public transport, deliveries and the impact on neighbouring streets and set out a clear timetable for bringing options back”.

Residents and businesses have told him for some time about safety on the street and how hard it is to get along its narrow, busy pavements, he said. “Our high streets are at the heart of Kemp Town. Residents, traders and venues should have a real say in how they develop.”

Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, welcomed the idea. “A community event would be an exciting first step towards making these high streets safer and more accessible and better places to shop, meet and spend time,” he said.

He said he would ask council officers to compare full pedestrianisation with pedestrian-priority options, including part-time versions such as weekends or certain seasons, and to look closely at the effect on buses, deliveries and access to local businesses.

Fellow Labour councillor Theresa Mackey said a spring event “could begin a wider conversation about the street’s future”.

The councillors have asked the public to send in their thoughts.

First reported by Brighton and Hove News¹.