Far-reaching plans to pedestrianise parts of Penarth Centre along with other changes designed to aid the long-term economic health of the town have been set out to Nub News by Cllr Rhiannon Birch, the head of the town council, and Cllr Nigel Humphrey, the chair of the Environment, Planning and Development Committee.

Details of the scheme were published along with a survey aimed at gauging residents' views which received 840 responses in total.

In a wide-ranging interview with Nub News, the two councillors stress that their core goal is to help businesses in the COVID-19 world in hopes they can grow stronger without causing unacceptable disruption to residents.

Cllr Humphrey said "the whole point is to create a Safe Space" for consumers and residents to enjoy but he also stressed the importance of factoring in wider insights about the future of the high street and the protection of local businesses.

The idea was born from town councillors taking part in seminars and webinars given by Town Centre Taskforce and the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

Cllr Birch said: ''There is a need for change within Penarth town centre, it was a situation we felt we needed to take seriously because it is an opportunity to improve the centre of Penarth for most people and so that is why we have been pushing it forward.

"We definitely want to respond with some urgency.

"We have drawn out opinions from several groups of people. In the past, we have concentrated on traders, but we wanted to get a broader perspective, so we did both."

You can view the proposals here and the survey results here.

After receiving the results of the survey, PTC has made a number of amendments to the original proposals. We have listed a few of these key changes below:

• Windsor Road will not be closed to Buses and Delivery Vehicles – They will be allowed to pass through as part of the safe space. A 10mph speed limit and a one-way system will be in place for these vehicles.
• The Bus Stops will no longer be moved – PTC had thought about removing bus stops from Windsor Road and moving them elsewhere. This is no longer included in the amended proposals.
• Two way from Windsor Road down to Railway Terrace – The two way system will remain after respondents came back with concerns about that.
• Two way from Arcot Road to Plassey Street – A number of people said that should remain a two-way street and so that has been amended.
• Collection points for drop-offs and collections (short stay times) – This will be points where customers can stop for short amounts of time (approx.. 15 minutes). This change was backed by traders who were concerned about the effect of less parking on collections.

Following feedback from residents and businesses, the councillors are confident that support has increased for the proposals.

Cllr Nigel Humphrey said "I was reassured by the results from Penarth Business Group's own survey, which came back with over 60% in favour of the initial proposals.

"We gathered suggestions of what we might do to improve those initial proposals, which we have since amended.

"That then went back to the Penarth Business Group and we were told had been very well received. There is actually a significant body of support from the traders."

Both councillors discussed the importance of encouraging customers to return to the high street.

The ONS figures for footfall on UK high streets throughout the pandemic show the heavy impact that businesses have faced as a consequence of the coronavirus.

The pressure on businesses across the UK cannot be understated.

Cllr Humphrey said: ''A month ago traders in town were saying if we cannot open in August/ September with further lockdowns/ resurgences we will not make it through the winter. Everyone is anticipating exactly that.

"Last week a trader told me that their footfall was down 60%.

"That was very similar to the figures coming out of the Town Centre Taskforce. A 65% drop in footfall in town centres.

"The unique thing about a town centre is the socialisation aspect, something which internet shopping and the supermarket can't offer. This also means that businesses are in a symbiotic relationship. If one goes down, they all suffer.

"This is the selling point for a town centre like Penarth. We want people to work with us and then we will work with the Vale to try and make it possible.

"Many people have talked about coming into town doing their shopping, going for a coffee and then doing something else. It's important to help that continue.

"What you want in a town centre is for people to stay for as long as possible. Interestingly, at the end of our survey, when asked how residents travel into town only 30% said they came by car, over 50% come on foot. That very closely reflects a study done in Bristol which showed the same result and also said that traders often overestimate the number of people coming by car by 100%."

The Council hopes that their proposals will enable businesses to reopen in a safe and secure way with the ability to forward plan, despite the uncertainty of current circumstances.

Cllr Humphrey said: "Hospitality businesses are now expected to open and in order to do that with social distancing in place, there has to be an outside space.

"This is really urgent. I would like to see our proposals in place for August, September and probably into October. We have no idea what is going to happen over the next 6-12 months. The best way to deal with the unknown is to give ourselves as much space as possible."

To what extent have the Penarth proposals taken inspiration from other local initiatives?

Cardiff's Al Fresco dining experience on Castle Street officially opened to the public last Friday and generated over £80,000 for the local economy."

Cllr Rhiannon Birch said: "Cardiff Council have been trying different things out across the city and they should be applauded for that. You don't know if something is going to work unless you set it up. A set of circumstances like now is the ideal opportunity for change because people's thinking has already changed so they are more willing to adapt.

"The Café culture of being able to sit outside with a coffee at 10 in the morning anywhere in Europe is ideal.

"Everyone in Penarth Town Council was in favour of looking at how things can be changed and tweaked. We've seen the success of things like Penarth Picnic, which was a really effective use of the space. We thought we've got the space and businesses are willing to think of different ways of running and we went for it."

However, some local residents have cited their concerns with anti-social behaviour as a result of the street dining and drinking designs.

Cllr Birch said: ''The businesses that sell alcohol will be allocated table space. They will be responsible for the behaviour and the alcohol consumption of customers, just like a pub landlord would be. We are expecting business owners to regulate their customers otherwise it could obviously affect their licence.

"Most people have better things to do than sit around drinking all day and most venues don't facilitate that. I think it's something people automatically worry about but Wetherspoons, for example, has had an outside seating area on Windsor Road for years now.

"Businesses want to be family-friendly and encourage a variety of people to come to your business. They are going to want trade all the year-round, not just on this sunny day.

Cllr Humphrey added: "I went to the Pilot and you only got served outside if you had a table and they were taking contact details of the lead member of that group.

"It also wasn't crowded. There is also still a high level of anxiety exacerbated by the news of other lockdowns throughout the country."

Parking proposals have also been a major concern for local residents and businesses. The town council plans outline that the parking lost at the Windsor Road Safe Space will be made up in other central areas.

Cllr Humphrey said: "We've nearly doubled the amount of disabled car parking spaces, especially around the town centre, as well as increasing the number of spaces in general. I would hope in the circumstances which are a national crisis people might be willing to compromise. The different businesses can be reached."

The bollard scheme also caused major concern in the community. Penarth Town Council hopes that these proposals will reflect a very different approach to these measures.

Cllr Humphrey said: ''I think the bollards would only have made the anxious feel more anxious. What the new proposal would mean is that it will be much more attractive and also adaptable. I'd hope to work on something like this with local businesses.

"Mainly, we want people to come to the town, spend money and enjoy it."

Penarth Town Council is clear that this is something they are waiting to trial and they are definitely willing to change and adapt.

Cllr Humphrey added: "It is an opportunity to trial this kind of thing and see if people like it or not. It will be a significant improvement if it works. We aren't slamming it down and saying this is here forever and you just have to live with it. There is an emergency and we have to try and cope with it so let's try this out and see what you think."

Cllr Rhiannon Birch concluded: "This is a positive move that is backed by people in Penarth and it is an opportunity which we should see as a good thing to change things for the better rather than looking for the negative aspects of it.

"Hopefully people can come at it with open minds. We are trying to do the right thing for Penarth and have involved residents at all the relevant stages.

All of the information that has been viewed by the public will now be analysed by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and a decision will be made on whether or not they will go forward with the proposals.