Fleet High Street to reopen after "groundswell" of opposition

The controversial pedestrianisation scheme in Fleet High Street has been ditched by the local council.

Hart District Council says Fleet Road will reopen “as soon as is practicable” because of what it called a “groundswell of opinion” against it.

The measure was introduced in August to help with social distancing, but raised concerns about disruption to traffic and businesses.

Councillor Graham Cockarill, Cabinet member for Economic Development at Hart District Council, said: “We were always very clear that the scheme was a temporary measure that we could take down if feedback and monitoring proved it was not working as we had hoped.

“Whilst I believe that there are positive impacts of the scheme, it is clear there is a groundswell of opinion amongst Fleet residents that the scheme is affecting their quality of life and these concerns outweigh the continuation of the road closure.”