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The Pedestrianisation of Dorsey Street
Last year we were given the road outside Alvarium as a space for extra seating to accommodate for the covid restrictions in place. This was pivotal for us after a catastrophic 2 years for hospitality and we were able to absorb some of the economic shock through this extension of our venue. It is no surprise that coronavirus massively affected the hospitality industry and although the pandemic appears to have eased, the economic disaster from this can still be felt and we are still struggling.
Last summer this extension meant we survived, and we were able to protect our staff against redundancies, an important priority for us. With the uncertainty of being granted this outside area again the consequences could be detrimental. We are looking to our community for support in order to continue surviving and eventually start thriving again.
Dorsey St
The road directly adjacent to our venue (Dorsey Street, just off Tib Street) is a double-yellowed, no through road with delivery access only being required for ourselves and Tib St Tavern. However, there are 2 designated loading bays on Tib St, of which ourselves and Tib St Tavern would prefer to use for our deliveries. With no parking, no through road and no access required, the need for Dorsey St to be an open road is unnecessary.
After the emergency measures were taken away by Central Government which allowed Manchester City Council to pedestrianise roads with more ease, we were in constant communication with our local councillors, City Co. and the Highways Department, all of whom saw no reason why the pedestrianisation of Dorsey St could not continue, especially with the road's feasibility report passed by Counter Terrorism Police with no cause for concern.
We have reached out to our licensing officers who previously informed us that we were a leading example in how these outside spaces should be run and the local residents were happy with how it was managed. However since then, Manchester City Council revoked the grant and our appeals have been ignored. After no response from the Council or our local MP, we contacted Sacha Lord and the NTE Office who also believe there should be no obstacles in granting us the road. Since then, we have been dealing with Adele Douglas directly, who is also in support of us pedestrianising Dorsey St.
The measures brought in by the government that were put forward in the Queen's speech about paving licenses that appeared to help, do not have relevance to us and many other outdoor seating areas as we are asking for road closures, not pavement seating.
Despite this constant back and forth with local government and no issues being raised by any relevant party involved, we are getting no response and now have no choice but to reach out to our community for support once again, and ask that you sign our petition.
Considerations we'll take to respect the local community
As we did when we had the outdoor seating previously, these are the measures we will put in place out of respect to the community and our local residents.
Noise & Nuisance
Our outdoor seating will be packed away at 9pm daily and as it was last year, the area will be controlled by extra security prohibiting standing. Glassware will be prohibited and only plastics used with no alcohol being served as take-away and on site consumption only.
Emergency Access
The discussions we've had with Adele Douglas and what we are requesting is half of the road so that emergency services will still have access to the street. They will still be able to carry out their vital work with our full outdoor seating terrace being easily moved and packed away if required.
Litter
The street will be cleared by ourselves every evening. We found that taking street cleaning into our own hands when we had the area before was much more effective in keeping the street clean than it is now under the Council's control.
Disability Access
The pavement will be kept clear of obstructions at all times and this will be controlled by our additional security.
