PLANS to pedestrianise Ulverston town centre are now 'completely off the table' after an 'overwhelming' negative response from businesses.

Cllr James Airey said businesses would be ‘severely disadvantaged’ if the town centre was to be pedestrianised.

South Lakeland District Council was awarded government funding to help towns reopen after the coronavirus crisis. One of the ideas put forward was pedestrianising roads and banning any vehicles from entering the town centre.

But Cllr Airey said: “We are looking at ways to make the centre of town safer for pedestrians but will not be considering anything radical.

"The existing shops in the town need supporting and the overwhelming message I’ve received from business owners is that they don’t want the town pedestrianised.

"By closing off the town, businesses would be severely disadvantaged, there would be an uproar.”

Plans are in place to improve pedestrianised areas in the town centre and also reduce the speed limit on Soutergate to 20 mph.

These will be formally agreed in the coming weeks.

Cllr Airey, an Ulverston town, South Lakeland district and Cumbria county councillor, said: “I do accept we have to get people back into the town centre fairly quickly but closing off the town centre to cars is not the answer. We don’t want to shut the middle of town down, that’s not a good idea.

"We want the shoppers to go into the town and, in a town like Ulverston, cars are a necessity not a luxury."