Tim Bishop, chief executive of the Forum in Norwich, says there has to be a traffic plan to save our fantastic city centre

We’re getting this wrong. If we’re not careful so-called “Car Free” Norwich is the road to Job Free Norwich.

Let’s be upfront here. I speak as the head of the Forum which runs a 209-space  car park. There are 330 places in the St Giles car park, loads of on street paid parking in St Giles and a surface car park in Pottergate. So, if car parking is the problem we are about a third of that problem.

Eastern Daily Press: Tim Bishop is leaving as chief executive of the Forum

But those car parks have been there for 20 years. Gridlock in St Giles and Bethel Street started six months ago when Exchange Street was closed.

There’s so much to love about our city centre. The energy and colour of the market, the striking heritage buildings, the great range of shops from the ever-changing Lanes to the impressive range of brands in Chantry Place and Castle Quarter, the sheer variety of events at the Forum, and our brilliant theatres and venues.

People come from a long way for shopping and relaxation because of that mix. To keep pace the city must keep changing. Covid and the growth of Norwich University of the Arts mean more people are back living in the city centre than have for years.

All of them want a successful city centre. For that businesses need customers. They can come on foot, by bike, public transport, by e-scooter and yes, whether some people like it or not, in a rural county by car.

Many people don’t have reliable public transport. Some people have access needs, or young families, and have to be able to park or be dropped off in the centre of the city, safely and easily. Businesses need deliveries.

What we need is a less jarring mix of cars, lorries and pedestrians, and a plan for the city which doesn’t result in snarled traffic around key access and exits. Pedestrianised streets done properly can be wonderful. Exchange Street has supposedly been closed but in practice there is an uncomfortable mix of people and vehicles. It still looks like a road.

I love Thorns one of the jewels of the street and the city. The staff are fantastic. But shops like Thorns are becoming a rarity. They are hugely frustrated with the way the closure has been mis-managed and it is damaging their business.

We want those independent businesses to thrive. We need a strategy for the city centre that includes all the elements that make it great.

The car free lobby say it’s simple. It isn’t. If you want jobs you need thriving businesses. They need customers, deliveries and other support all of which fits uncomfortably on a road network more suited to a horse and cart.

Taking it piecemeal means the mess around the Exchange Street closure. Questioning the way it was closed doesn’t make you some petrolhead dinosaur opposing all progress.

We need to get people in and out in as environmentally friendly way that we can and create safe attractive shopping and leisure areas and yes car free pedestrian areas.

Make a mess of it and you could exchange the loss of the city centre with a booming Longwater, Broadland Gate and other out of town centres and a less environmentally friendly result.

To take just one example around 80pc of the customers for the Theatre Royal come from outside Norwich. Half the Canaries supporters come from outside the city. Most could not get home by bus after a show or match. Stop them coming in and the key things that make our city a fantastic place will be lost forever. Car free and job free Norwich.