An Aberystwyth shopkeeper has raised concerns over potential plans to pedestrianise part of the town centre in response to the Covid pandemic.

Ceredigion council has been given a grant through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns fund which is aimed at making travel easier whilst maintaining social distance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

One option being looked at is the “reallocation of road space (to include pedestrian and cyclist priority measures)” in towns such as Aberystwyth, Aberaeron and Cardigan.

But Cllr Ceredig Davies, who owns the Mona Liza shop on Aberystwyth’s Great Darkgate Street, raised concerns over any such plans, saying: “Access to businesses is of critical importance, denying that access will inevitably have consequences.

“Shoppers are like water, they will flow to the area of least resistance, and the least resistance in this case will be the shops that have plenty of car parking space literally on their doorstep.

“The risk of taking an arbitrary decision to close off the centre of Aberystwyth in order to address a hopefully short-term problem, could have a far more long-term impact on the viability of the town centre as a retail destination.”

However the mayor of Cardigan has welcomed the move, calling it an opportunity to “try something different” and see if it attracts shoppers to the high street.

Cllr Davies added: “In objecting to the pedestrianisation of the A487 through Aberystwyth I am not oblivious to the need of improving the street scene in order to make access more Covid-appropriate, the removal of street clutter being the most obvious and simplest matter to tackle. The town centre is more than a retail centre, it is also the place that a few thousand people call home. Closing the town’s streets will have an impact on access to those homes, something that is always controversial whenever a large event takes place necessitating the closure of roads.”

The mayor of Cardigan, Cllr Clive Davies, welcomed similar plans for his town.

“Depending on the adjustments this will be an opportunity to try something different and see if they become an attraction to those shopping and running a business on the high street,” Cllr Davies told the Cambrian News. “I’d like to show that Cardigan is a safe place to shop and use its award-winning hospitality venues within government guidelines.”

The mayor said he has previously canvassed town centre businesses over possible ways to combat the impact of Covid-19. “Hopefully, whatever Ceredigion decide to do to the town it will ensure and attract safe use and enjoyment of our town centre,” he added.

In Aberaeron, county councillor Elizabeth Evans said pedestrianisation in a town centre may work in some areas, but would be disastrous in others.

She added that she is working with council officers to find a way forward that works for Aberaeron as a whole.

“I am approaching this as an opportunity even though there will be a lot of juggling ahead of us,” Cllr Evans told the Cambrian News.

An officer working group at Ceredigion council has been established to identify what interventions are necessary to ensure it is safer and easier for people to get around local towns.