Buchan councillors yesterday moved to push through plans to prepare for the opening of Peterhead’s Chapel Street to traffic.
The town centre street was closed along with part of Marischal Street more than a decade ago in an effort to boost the town’s shopping district.
Now, however, councillors are in a position to approve the street’s re-opening possibly later this year after giving their backing to necessary works.
Kayleigh Taylor, a business manager on Chapel Street, said of life under the current conditions: “It’s quiet. We actually get a lot of people in saying they didn’t know we’re here.
“It’s a specialised street, it’s the kind of street you’d go out of your way to go to.”
Works approved on the street, in the event of it opening to traffic again, include the installation of bollards and the resiting of bus shelters.
Traffic on the re-opened street would flow in just one direction and a 20mph speed limit would be put in place.
At the moment, only buses and emergency vehicles are allowed into the area.
Councillors also yesterday approved a tender for work on the town’s Collie Burn after erosion washed away 32ft of its banks.
Local councillor Anne Allan commented at the Buchan area committee: “It’s now, probably, going into the second year that I raised this. I am delighted that this will happen.”
The works to the popular beauty spot, which include rock armouring, are set to cost Aberdeenshire Council £51,000.