Partnership work to help ensure safe and enjoyable visits to Great Yarmouth's shopping and tourism hotspots

Businesses are responsible for following Government guidance, undertaking risk assessments and putting in place measures to operate their premises safely, including managing any queues.

To assist with the safe reopening of high footfall public spaces, temporary public realm and highways measures to help pedestrians maintain safe social distancing have been introduced in Great Yarmouth town centre, Gorleston High Street and the borough's busiest tourism hotspots.

As part of this, messages temporarily stencil-sprayed onto pavements and signage are asking pedestrians to stay on the left side of some footpaths and to seek to stay two metres apart from anyone they do not live with. Further information including maps is available at www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/stay-safe

On Monday, council staff and councillors, including the council leader, will be on hand in Great Yarmouth town centre, Great Yarmouth seafront, Gorleston High Street and Hemsby's Beach Road, to greet and guide visitors through the new system and check in with businesses. In Great Yarmouth town centre, they will be joined by the town centre wardens from the Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership.

The team will visit businesses to address any issues or questions, and offer support packs containing an advice leaflet with essential tips for safe operations, safety posters and floor stickers. These materials have been created by the borough council and Town Centre Partnership, in liaison with the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement area.

Free advice and resources for businesses are also available to download on the websites of the council and Town Centre Partnership, along with links to sector-specific guidance on operating safely. www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/reopen-business-safely

Recognising that people might need longer in town than normal due to queuing, people will be able to park for two hours for the price of one hour in the King Street, Market Place and Brewery Plain car parks, as well as Gorleston High Street car park, for a period of three months from June 15. 

Cllr Carl Smith, the council leader, said: "The reopening of retailers across our shopping and tourism hotspots is critical to our phased recovery. We actively welcome people to visit and want to ensure they have a safe and enjoyable time. 

"As a council, working closely with business leaders, we're supporting those efforts by making it easier to maintain safe social distancing in the streets, offering free guidance to both visitors and businesses, and using targeted enforcement at premises where necessary.

"Businesses are responsible for ensuring safe operations at their own premises, in line with Government guidance, including managing queues. Shoppers and visitors can play their important part by staying alert as they walk around, following the new signs and measures in the streets and inside shops."

Town centre manager Jonathan Newman, of Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership, said: "The reopening of non-essential retail on Monday is great news for the shops that have been prevented from trading for almost three months and I hope that it will soon be followed by the lifting of the restrictions on remaining town centre businesses.

"The Town Centre Partnership very much looks forward to welcoming people back to the town centre to support their local shops. However, we should be mindful that the virus has not completely disappeared and that we must all work together by observing the safe distancing measures that will be implemented both inside and outside shops to keep us all safe."​