Dear Reader on the dilemma facing Harrogate pubs plus whether banning cars works

A personal column by the Harrogate Advertiser's Graham Chalmers
Bringing back pubs in Harrogate is going to present some challenges for the owners and customers.Bringing back pubs in Harrogate is going to present some challenges for the owners and customers.
Bringing back pubs in Harrogate is going to present some challenges for the owners and customers.

From the orderly calm at the reopened Harrogate Golf Club to the more chaotic scenes on West Park at the weekend, the early moments of the ‘new normal’ are being experienced in different ways.

The partial reopening of three bars in Harrogate town centre did not go without a hitch as the crowds of drinkers appeared to be under the mistaken impression the entire lockdown was over.

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Perhaps the bright sunshine in the pre-summer heat went to some people’s heads?

It’s hard to blame the pubs concerned for attempting a partial reopening for takeaway drinks, as the authorities said they were allowed to do.

The Government’s furlough scheme and various other support mechanisms may be making a huge difference in places but businesses in the food and drink sector in lockdown are still paying the rent, still covering those bills even in the complete absence of income.

Figures published earlier in the week by the British Beer and Pub Association painted a picture as alarming as any gathering outside a Harrogate bar.

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The longer the lockdown continues, the more risk there is of thousands of bars simply never opening again.

Further, the BBPA predicted, two-thirds of all pub jobs were likely to be lost as a result.

The existence of a hot house of abuse on social media isn’t helping anyone.

Human nature being what it is, people expect everyone to be following the rules of social distancing 100% of the time even if they themselves struggle to do the same.

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So, let’s chalk up the reopening of a few Harrogate bars down to a trial run that didn’t quite work and let’s learn from it.

Social distancing may not be easy but, when all the shops start opening again next week with bars and restaurants not far behind, there is no choice, it has to work.

In a way, pedestrianising town centres is clearly a no brainer.

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As well as the absence of cars making it easier to social distance during the current pandemic and cutting carbon emissions, it also makes it possible to create a more relaxed continental al fresco experience to attract shoppers.

Which is why the likes of Bristol and Manchester, Liverpool and London are busy creating ‘low traffic neighbourhoods’ right now during lockdown.

I would urge a measure of caution and not just because quite a few businesses are vehemently opposed to stopping potential customers from driving to the shops.

As I have seen for myself in my hometown of Falkirk when I pop back periodically, pedestrianisation in itself is no guarantee of success if that is the only trick up your sleeve.

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It must have been about 35 years ago when the cobbled stones of its town centre packed with traffic made way for a car-less paradise.

Today, thanks to how the economy has changed, the vast majority of retail units in Falkirk town centre now lie empty in a concrete desert.

There’s another concern, too.

If Harrogate as a whole remains a car town with the same log-jams building up on its main routes in and out, a single oasis of peace in the town centre won’t take us much further forward.

A message from the Editor

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