Traders have told the town council that pedestrianising North Street at weekends is vital to increase footfall for all businesses.
At a meeting of the authority on Monday, BID (Business Improvement District) manager Madeleine Lees and Jackson Square manager Michael Smith persuaded members to back a feasibility study to kickstart the proposals.
The town council is already considering pedestrianisation plans for South and Potter Streets, where improving air quality is the main concern.
However, the BID believes a strategy to restrict cars in North Street will be quicker and easier to achieve and has the potential to revive the town centre – even as a part-time measure.
Mr Smith said that footfall had fallen 11% between 2019 and 2023, and while there was a bounceback at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic because customers were used to shopping locally, they were now looking further afield. In the first five months of this year, footfall fell 19% compared with 2019.
He said: “The feedback I am getting from traders is that they feel like they are being left behind.
“There’s no good news story for Bishop’s Stortford at the moment and what we are proposing will give people a reason to come back.”
The BID is set to stage a circus-style event on Saturday, September 14, to showcase how North Street could become a focal point for entertainment and open-air dining.
Ms Lees said with its focus on hospitality, wide carriageway and historic buildings, the area was the obvious choice.
In around 2012, North Street was part-pedestrianised on market days, so the principle has already been tested.
She said the feasibility study would examine how the scheme could work now and if it was viable for the future - including any impact on shops and services in South Street and Potter Street.
The study will also review how the changes might affect North Street residents and deliveries for existing businesses. Councillors were concerned that there should be full consultation.
Despite dissent from Labour whose leader, Cllr David Jacobs, was concerned about separate feasibility studies for North Street and South Street, the town council’s Liberal Democrat and Conservative members voted to spend up to £10,000 on the review.
They stipulated it should be carried out by a consultant backed by the highways authority, Hertfordshire County Council, as any scheme will need its agreement before it can be implemented.
After the meeting, Ms Lees said: “The BID is delighted to have agreement from the town council to further explore our North Street pedestrianisation initiative at weekends.
“The proposed scheme aims to shine a spotlight on this attractive heritage part of town, and in so doing, boost footfall generally, improve trading and instil a sense of pride in the community.
“High streets are changing, and we need to respond in Bishop’s Stortford, putting our town on the map and giving people a reason to spend time here rather than elsewhere.”