Date set for new anti-terror barrier in King’s Parade
A temporary barrier to close a section of King’s Parade in Cambridge to traffic and tighten security will be operational from January 13.
The barrier will be just north of the junction with Bene’t Street, close to the Corpus clock.
It is described as a three-metre wide swing gate with pairs of ballasted security barges – large weighted supports – on either side and a gap on the King’s College side for cyclists. Additional barges will be provided on both pathways in line with security recommendations.
It will be closed between 9.30am and 7pm each day and vehicle deliveries to and from premises will need to be made outside of these times or from other loading facilities nearby.
City council leader Cllr Lewis Herbert said: “We understand that some of the businesses on King’s Parade will feel inconvenienced, but this is a temporary solution and we will continue to discuss the scheme and any potential permanent measures with them.”
Access will remain for pedestrians, cyclists, emergency services and for special events. Bollards, waste bins and other street furniture will be relocated where necessary.
Additional slowing measures, including narrowing of the road, will be put in place on the Trumpington Street approach to King’s Parade. The barrier is part of the first phase of safety measures from Cambridge City Council, the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridgeshire police.
They will assess how well the barrier, which is set to be in place for 18 months, works before proposals for a permanent barrier or closure arrangement are developed, if this is felt to be appropriate.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Glasgow, from the Eastern region’s counter terrorism policing unit, said: “Similar barriers have been installed elsewhere in the country, and temporarily at crowded places, to protect locations and events as an additional safety measure.
“The national threat level has been lowered to substantial, and there is no intelligence to suggest a threat to Cambridge.”
Cambridge city’s joint area committee supported the principle of installing a barrier on March 5. The decision follows police advice that recommended steps be taken to protect the large numbers of pedestrians who use King’s Parade throughout the year.
Disabled car parking space on King’s Parade, for up to 10 cars, will become inaccessible at the times the barrier is closed, but alternative parking spaces will be created on Trumpington Street, the council said.
Read more:
‘Rethink terror roadblock plan for King’s Parade’
Famous Cambridge street section to be closed to traffic to counter terror threat
Move to stop terror threat in Cambridge’s King’s Parade
