Town centre businesses urged to help relaunch after lockdown

A new survey has been launched to find out how Fife’s town centres can operately safely after lockdown.

Fife Council wants to get the views of businesses operating in and around our High Streets to help create a plan for shoppers and visitors.

Many are poised to re-open for the first time since March, but face operating with reduced numbers of customers and special measures to ensure social distancing, and possible use of outdoor space.

The council is creating a recovery plan to help town centres get back up and running after a long lay-off during the coronavirus pandemic,

Councillor Altany Craik, convener of the economy and tourism committee, said: “We are developing recovery plans to help address the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on towns and local shopping centres across Fife.

“A vital part of this planning is to support our local businesses as our town centres begin to re-open.

"We’d like to hear about your plans and the support that you need to re-open and trade both safely and successfully as the lockdown eases. This will help us to manage our town centres effectively. Recovering from Covid-19 will challenge different businesses in different ways and we want to do all we can to help.”

Measures could include reducing the amount of road space available for vehicles and, in some cases, it is possible that full pedestrianisation will need to be in place during fixed hours. These will be part of a range of measures being looked which also includes measures to support walking, wheeling and cycling.

This is when some Greggs stores are reopening in Fife

Fife Council aims to support the town centre business community and visitors by taking into account, where possible, the various needs of different user groups including businesses.

Cllr Craik added: “We are working hard to support a range of business sectors in town centres including retail, hospitality and leisure, culture and public transport and we want to hear from as many of them as possible on what the main issues will be for them.”

The survey closes on July 6.

www.fife.gov.uk/tc-recovery-survey

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