High fives and Mai Tais as Upper Trafalgar St to be closed to traffic again this summer

Thursday, 9 August 2018

Upper Trafalgar St will be closed off to motorists again this summer, after a huge success last year.

Harry Morrison, of Harry's Nelson Restaurant and Bar, and Nick Widley, of the Cod and Lobster Brasserie, presented in favour of the closure to a full Nelson City Council meeting on behalf of upper Trafalgar St businesses.

They were backed up by hundreds of written public submissions, almost unanimously in favour of the closure, with many asking for it to be permanent.

Of the over 300 submissions, only seven were critical of the closure.

**Read more:

* Businesses abuzz over pedestrian zone

* Closing Trafalgar a raging success

* Council should be open to closing Trafalgar in winter**

Morrison said there was a 'massive influx of business' in December that took him by surprise.

'Most businesses ran at least two to three more staff over that [outdoor] area … often we had people coming in for two, three o'clock dining and having refreshments, which probably wouldn't have happened before.'

Of the over 300 submissions, only seven were critical of the closure.

Widley said he and other business owners had received overwhelmingly positive feedback from overseas tourists.

'One big thing was how many people were surprised that this hasn't happened before, because it went so well. People just assumed this was a part of Nelson,' he said.

'What we also found was, obviously business was up for everyone, but members of the public were coming into the space more often.

'The locals instantly had a place to congregate, it instantly felt like a community, everybody felt a sense of belonging.'

Widley said having the street closed led to the busiest and best New Years Eve celebration in Nelson, and said the city could keep building on that.

Both Widley and Harrison said they would like the closure to run for a longer duration this summer, and with a more ambitious scope.

Cheers to staying closed: Nick Widley, representing business owners on upper Trafalgar St, said the area should be closed to traffic for longer.

Harrison said the closed street made all the businesses communicate and work together a lot more cohesively and keep the area safe.

'Everyone was looking out across the road to see how things were going. All businesses were good at advising each other if they saw something that wasn't quite right.'

Harrison suggested more council-provided furniture, and said that the 1903 Square had been underused.

He said that was something that could be looked at 'as an investment' for the area going forward.