I think Lord Street in Fleetwood should be pedestrianised for its future - but not yet

A leading campaigner for securing Fleetwood’s future said Lord Street should be pedestrianised, creating a safer, more welcoming town centre as part of a wider vision to attract vistors to port.

George Greenall, who’s behind ambitious plans for Fleetwood People’s Pier, believes town’s main shopping street should be free of cars completely - but not yet.

He wants to see People’s Pier established before any major changes are made to Lord Street, arguing that Fleetwood needs a new attraction to bring people into the town in the first place.

“To me, People’s Pier needs to be done first because Fleetwood needs something in place to bring people in - and then look at Lord Street.

George envisages an artisan market at the Fisherman’s Walk end of the street, with visitors able to stroll along Lord Street as far as the junction with North Albert Street.

He believes this stretch should become the heart of Fleetwood’s town centre.

“There could be an artisan market at the Fisherman’s Walk end and then people could walk along Lord Street to the junction with North Albert Street. That area could be the town centre.

“The trams and buses would still need to be considered but at the moment there are cars, parking, public transport all using Lord Street and people would feel safer if it was pedestrianised.

“I think the atmosphere would be different too.”

Pedestrianising Lord Street would form part of a much wider ambition to create a Cultural Quarter in Fleetwood, linking the town’s attractions and encouraging people to explore more of what it has to offer.

The seafront’s existing attractions, including the boating lake, model yacht lake and pitch and putt would all play a part alongside the redevelopment of the Marine Hall.

At the heart of George’ vision is Fleetwood People’s Pier, a proposed two-storey modular village, using high-quality shipping containers or modular buildings.

The ground floor would feature 10-12 independent restaurants and cafés, outdoor seating, event space, public toilets, landscaping and a sea-facing promenade. The estimated construction value is between £2.5 million and £3.5 million.

Fleetwood People’s Pier could use £250k funding from the pot of £20m Pride in Fleetwood money that could be used to pay for a feasibility study and the foundation work to get the scheme off the ground.

George added: “It’s no good doing up shop fronts now and throwing money here and there. It’s not sustainable. We need a reason for people to come to Fleetwood.”

If Lord Street was eventually pedestrianised, George would like to see the buildings given a more unified appearance, with their upper-floor exteriors painted in complementary pastel colours.

“I think that in itself would be a reason for people to want to come to Lord Street, he said.