Peterhead town centre is to be re-opened to all traffic for the first time in more than 10 years in a bid to reverse the fortunes of ailing shops and businesses.
Chapel Street was closed to vehicles along with part of Marischal Street more than a decade ago in an effort to boost town centre trade.
However, the experiment saw pedestrian numbers fall away with the local authority since working to reintroduce cars to the main streets in a hope to draw people back to the area.
Last night, the move was welcomed by Peterhead councillor Alan Buchan, who said the decision signalled a major step forward in the regeneration of the town.
He said the town centre at present was “stuck in a rut”.
Councillor Buchan, who is also the chairman of North East Community and Business Association, said: “If we look at the way things are at the moment, people don’t see much of the town if they’re strangers.
“We’re hoping this will allow people to park and pick up things and generally do a more convenient shop.
“At the moment we seem to be stuck in a rut we’re not getting out of. We’re trying to introduce more businesses – especially in Chapel Street – so if we can do that up it would fairly help.
The plans were, however, opposed by one member of the public anonymously during its consultation period.
They raised concerns about noise, damage to the cobbled surface and the lack of new parking bays to encourage people to shop locally.
But Mr Buchan, who publishes a local newspaper in Peterhead, disagreed.
He said: “At the end of the day it’s people like myself who have shops in the centre of town who see what’s going on every day and they see the town being bled dry.
“What alternative are they putting forward? It’s okay just criticising, but if you’re not prepared to put forward an alternative to get people into the centre of the town, what are you going to do?”
The reintroduced traffic on Marischal Street and Chapel Street will be limited to 20mph, and a report on the impact of the scheme will be brought before councillors at a meeting of the Buchan area committee in six months.
Buses and emergency vehicles have continued to use the streets since their closure to the public.