A section of a former High Street of the Year is to be temporarily pedestrianised again on Saturdays.

The area between King Street and Union Road, Deal will be for foot traffic only from 10am to 2pm this Saturday.

Deal Town Council announced the decision to re-introduce the closure has been made on social distancing grounds. It comes now footfall is increasing in the town centre as we move towards easing the most recent lockdown regulations.

A statement said the temporary measure could last until April 24 but the authority has not decided if the road closure will continue until then or if normal use will resume before that date. The date has been set to give the authority a degree of flexibility.

The statement added: "Deal Town Council will review this position at the full council meeting on March 30, 2021.

"Should you wish to make representation to the council for the March meeting, please see the full council agenda which will be available on our website from March 25."

This follows a pedestrianisation for ten Saturdays last year between August 15 to October 17 between 10am and 2pm, in conjunction with Dover District Council and Kent County Council.

Deal Town Council decided to extend the temporary road closure to the end of October and then again to the end of February as the need to maintain social distancing was still a high priority during the pandemic.

However, when a further national lockdown was announced, the temporary road closures were suspended as the authority says the number of pedestrians using the High Street dropped dramatically.

At the time of the last road closure, traders were keen to stress that the High Street remained open for business despite the road closure.

Presently non-essential shops remain closed. Food vendors are still trading at Deal's Saturday Market which is at the end of the pedestrianisation area in Union Road car park.

Deal High Street was named High Street of the Year in 2013 by The Telegraph which praised its mix of independent shops sitting alongside big high street chain stores.

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