IMPROVEMENTS to Barnsley town centre launched by the council could help it to achieve Purple Flag status - a benchmark for quality and safety in future, it is hoped.
England currently has 70 Purple Flag rated towns and cities and councillors are now aiming to have Barnsley added to the list.
It operates in a similar way to the Green Flag system for parks, where a demanding set of criteria must be met before the status is awarded and has now been operating for six years.
The idea is to build on the current success of the Best Bar None scheme and Ask for Angela initiative, which help to provide a safe environment for those socialising in the town centre, with bars adhering to a set of rules to provide a high quality environment, and the ‘Angela’ scheme providing a safe and discreet way for those who feel uncomfortable to escape a social meeting.
Wide ranging changes are now being made to the public areas in the town centre, with work on the first phase of the project now underway at Cheapside, but more will follow with Queen Street and Peel Square to be transformed, along with a new Glass Works square constructed where the temporary market now stands.
Coun Roy Miller, cabinet spokesman, said: “The next few years are hugely exciting for our town centre and we are all extremely proud of the hard work going into making it a more current, diverse and public-friendly space for Barnsley residents to enjoy.
“When people come to Barnsley for a night out, we want them to feel safe, well looked after and to have a fantastic time.
“Purple Flag provides us with a framework to develop exceptional standards for our town centre, which is already benefitting from the launch of Best Bar None and Ask for Angela campaigns.
“The Glass Works scheme and the public realm improvements also play a major factor in reaching our goals.
“The new public square for example will create a large, bright and open area, surrounded by family restaurants and a major cinema.
“It also encourages people on the periphery of Barnsley and South Yorkshire to head to our great market town once more for a nice evening out.”
