BUSINESSES and residents have welcomed the pedestrianisation of Broad Street as it becomes ‘Broad Meadow’.
The city council project officially opened on Thursday, with half the street now a temporary outdoor space, with wildflowers, trees and small lawns.
The scheme has cost £120,000 to design and implement, with ongoing costs to monitor and manage the space, and host events.
Work took just four days to complete, and Oxford City Council has plans for community and art events in the space over the summer, pending coronavirus regulations.
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Akim Akkouche, who has run Crepes O Mania in Broad Street for nine years, welcomed the new space.
He said: “It looks absolutely wonderful and I think it will bring the boost to Broad Street which we needed.
“We’ve been in lockdowns and not seen too many foreign tourists in the last 15 months.”
Changes will not affect bus stops or the county council’s public car park in Broad Street, something Mr Akkouche said he would like to see altered.
“Although it’s semi-pedestrianised, I’d like to see the whole thing pedestrianised,” he said.
“I’m sure they can find the car parking space for the other side of Broad Street.
“It would be nice to have a little piece of heaven in the city centre with no delivery drivers or cars.
“They’ve been talking about doing this for years and even though it’s only temporary, I hope the council will make it permanent.”
Dage Loranca, shop manager at the Oxfam store in Broad Street, added: “We hope it will bring more people in to the shop and help people engage with the community.
“We hope there’ll be a real boost for all the businesses here in Broad Street – so far people are out feeling happy and giving nice comments about the meadow.”
It is not just businesses pleased with the outcome though, as residents make use of the space.
Sue Antrobus was at the official unveiling on Thursday, and again yesterday.
She said: “There was a real buzz when it opened and it was really joyful.
“It’s fantastic – the council has been really brave as it’s a bit unusual and really imaginative.
“To have the raised lawn, and the flowers and art – the atmosphere is lovely.
“It’s really nice just to sit here and take it all in, it’s peaceful and quiet with the lack of traffic.”
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Kirsty Lloyd added: “It has gone up really quickly and it’s always nice to have green spaces, especially with the empty Boswells and shops on the corner of Broad Street.
“If you’re looking for a place for a coffee, it’ll be more tempting to go there now – it’s a really nice addition to the area.”
The city council applied for permission to close the street from Oxfordshire County Council, the local authority responsible for roads.
A consultation questionnaire is available online for residents to share their thoughts on the scheme.
It can be found at consultation.oxford.gov.uk, and closes on October 29.
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