Controversial plans to permanently ban cars from part of a town centre have been put on hold as highway bosses have raised concerns over the scheme's safety.

The north section of Deal High Street, from Stanhope Road and Union Road, is currently pedestrianised from 10am until 2pm on Saturdays only.

Deal Town Council (DTC) had hoped to extend this ban to seven days a week which split opinion among traders – with some fearing it would “kill” their town's small shops while others were hopeful it would increase footfall.

But the idea has now been “put on the back-burner” as Kent County Council’s (KCC) highways department has raised “several crucial points and factors” on its impact on business, public transport and pedestrian safety.

While many shoppers were supportive of the proposal, some traders say they are pleased it has been put on hold.

Sharon Friend, from Merrygarden Florist, says a permanent ban would have caused serious problems for her daily deliveries.

“On a Saturday it is difficult for us because our drivers can't come into the precinct, they have to come early before 8.30am and can't come back until after 2pm,” she said.

“If they extended it, it would kill business.

“I think it would have been a waste of money, there are much better things it could be spent on.

“For high street shops to be sustainable, we need to have access and deliveries.

“When they pedestrianised the other part of town many years ago, it changed the whole concept and it became worse, a lot of the big businesses left.

“I'm pleased they are not going ahead with it; we don't want to end up like Whitstable or Canterbury which are full of coffee shops.

“Deal is very unique, let's look after it and keep it like that.

“People don't pass through Deal, it is a destination but there is already nowhere to park; banning cars would make it worse.”

Colleague Tina Barrett added: “A lot of the customers who use the shops are elderly or disabled and rely on their cars to stop outside.

“We can take their orders out to them so they don't have to carry it. We would lose all that trade if they made the ban permanent.

“Mother's Day was our busiest day of the year but the Saturday before was a nightmare because we had hundreds of deliveries but our drivers couldn't get through until after 2pm. It would be terrible if it was like that every day.”

“The idea hasn't been dropped but it has been put on the back-burner for now…”

The south portion of the high street, from South Street to Park Street, is already closed off to traffic.

Lianti Peacock, who has run Peppers Health Food for 20 years, says while she was neutral to the idea of extending the traffic ban, she is now pleased to hear it will not be happening.

“At first, I was not sure but I have listened to what people have said and I thought maybe it could have some benefits,” she said.

“But I am pleased to hear this is not going ahead because where are the buses going to go?

“Elderly people depend on that bus to go to the north end of Deal.

“If they closed it, they would have to reroute everything.”

But regular shoppers say the Saturday closure for the market is such a success, they would love to see the high street so busy throughout the week.

Dr Alan Spence, who has lived in Deal for 10 years, said: “I would love to see it as a walkway, it would make it more friendly for shopping.

“I'm not sure what it would mean for the traffic but I would be happy to see the change because it is great when they do it on a Saturday.”

Having looked into the feasibility of the proposals, KCC said it would be “more difficult to manage” and would “give pedestrians a false sense of safety and security”.

It added: “The ideal scenario in making the high street pedestrianised would be to exclude all vehicles entirely from the zone within the restricted hours making it safe for pedestrians to use the space freely.

“Doing this would exclude buses which use this route, access to residential dwellings, deliveries to the many businesses, including shops, bars, pubs, along with permit holder and disabled parking.”

Taking on board the feedback, DTC’s transport and infrastructure committee says the scheme is “not viable”.

Committee clerk Laura Marney said: “Within our town plan, consulting on the permanent pedestrianisation of the north part of the high street, was identified as the second highest priority.

“The scheme would need public support, local stakeholder support and backing from both county and district councils.

“We have now met with KCC officers who have raised many concerns, including pedestrian safety, impact on residents and businesses and existing bus routes.”

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DTC’s full council discussed the proposals in a meeting on Tuesday where it was decided the scheme would be put on hold.

Cllr Mike Eddy (Green) explained: “It was one of the most popular things that went into the town plan.

“The idea hasn't been dropped but it has been put on the back-burner for now.

“It is still in the town plan, we just want to have another look to see what else can be done to improve it in terms of access for residents and businesses.

“We want to make the town as pleasant as possible for as many people as possible.”