City street shut during Covid set to remain closed

A city centre street that was closed to traffic during the Covid pandemic looks set to remain shut permanently under council plans.

Division Street in Sheffield was temporarily closed during the pandemic in June 2020, along with Upper Pinstone Street.

Sheffield City Council is now looking to spend £170,000 on proposals for the road's permanent closure.

The aim is to make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle between the city centre, the university and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Division Street was shut between Westfield Terrace and Rockingham Street via an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) which has now been made permanent.

A report for councillors says: "This assisted in the co-ordination of diverted traffic by re-routing buses around the city centre to enable the closure of Upper Pinstone Street to motor vehicles."

An initial proposal for the permanent closure has been scrapped and a revised scheme is being devised.

A meeting of the council's finance and performance policy committee next Monday is being asked to approve increasing the budget from £126,000 to £170,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The funding is also intended to support local businesses, hospitality venues and the wider city centre economy by creating a more welcoming environment that encourages people to visit and shop in the area.

The scheme is part of a larger plan to create a greener city centre with cleaner air and better access to public transport.

The council will seek funding for the project from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

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