Business boost for Leeds city centre street with £190k pavement widening plans
A Leeds city centre street is set to have its pavement widened under a £190,000 scheme to help businesses.
Leeds City Council said it would boost pedestrian safety and help hospitality traders on Cross Belgrave Street.
It is hoped funding can be secured to pay for the widening of the street’s western footway, a project which could allow the opening of street cafe areas.
A city council report said: “The widened pavement will improve the pedestrian environment.
“This scheme will help promote Cross Belgrave Street as a night-time destination.”
The report said businesses supported the proposal after the pavement was temporarily widened to help with social distancing during the Covid pandemic.
It said: “Hospitality businesses enjoyed the additional space that the temporary arrangement allowed as this enabled them to utilise larger areas for the use of pavement cafés.
“These created spaces helped ensure that businesses were able to continue trading during the pandemic and ultimately assisted in their survival through difficult trading conditions.”
Businesses struggled to recover from the pandemic and were further impacted while two student housing developments were being built nearby, the report said.
The required funding, estimated at £191,000, would be applied for from West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Active Travel Fund.
It said: “Should that process not be successful this scheme will not proceed until alternative funding has been secured.”
Two blue badge parking bays would be relocated as part of the project.