A STREET closure which saw diners eating out al fresco on an Oxford city centre street could return in the future, if ther e is enough support for it.

A large part of George Street was closed throughout August and the start of September and restaurants and cafes were allowed to put tables and chairs out into the road, as a means of bringing in more diners as social distancing measures remained in place.

The closure was hailed as a great success and was popular with restaurant goers, but it was only temporary.

But now, Oxford City Council wants to know if Oxford residents would like to see George Street pedestrianised again, either on a part-time basis or permanently.

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To do this, it is carrying out a survey, asking people what they want to see for the future of the street.

Tom Hayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “We pedestrianised part of George Street to support hospitality businesses this summer, and we know they have been delighted with the results.

“Now we’d like to get the thoughts of a wider cross section of the public, so if you’ve eaten outside in George Street over the last month or if your bus was diverted to Beaumont Street please do take part in the survey.

“All your comments will be used to help us decide whether or not we should pedestrianise George Street again in the future.”

Oxford City Council does not have power over what happens on the city's roads: that lies with Oxfordshire County Council, so the two worked together to close the street to provide a space for outdoor tables and chairs for up to 10 hospitality businesses.

The road was closed between New Inn Hall Street and Cornmarket Street from 10am to 9pm each day.

It began on 22 August and will come to an end on Sunday (September 20).

In the online survey, known as a public consultation, the city council is asking a series of questions about what Oxford residents what they thought of the trial, including whether or not it had been a success, whether or not people would like to see George Street pedestrianised again in the future, and whether or not they think other city centre streets should be pedestrianised.

Other streets which have been discussed as potentially pedestrianised areas of central Oxford include Broad Street.

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As lockdown measures were eased in May, Oxford City Council called on the county council to stop cars from accessing the historic street, where Blackwells, the Sheldonian Theatre and the Bodleian Library are based.

A separate survey carried out by the city council found that 80 per cent of Oxford residents support the pedestrianisation of Broad Street, which could see cars banned from the road at certain times of day, or if they are carrying out deliveries to shops.

A series of measures have been carried out by Oxford's tow councils during the last few months to make the city safe as coronavirus lingers, including a 'one-way system' on the city centre streets, and pedestrianising St Michael's Street.