Pedestrianising King Street is about more than removing buses & cars — it’s about creating a healthier, more connected Nottingham.
King Street is one of the most beautiful streets in Nottingham, when you look up away from the imposing buses jostling for space and the delivery vans circling & screaming due to Deliveroo bikes occupying their bays. Its beauty is hidden among the escalating chaos.
Beautiful windows of King Street behind French Living’s lights
Buses have always been a part of King Street, and I used to think there were too many back in 1994 when we opened as a French shop/deli, but compared to what is happening today along our tiny street, it was pretty idyllic back then. Our tiny shop frontage at least could be seen and the proof is that we built French Living from these humble beginnings, from being a totally new retail concept, relying on passing trade and word of mouth.
Humble beginnings: a French Shop selling everything to do with food
I believe Nottingham deserves better. Its architecture deserves to be honoured and seen. Our community also deserves a healthier, safer, greener, more tranquil city centre. I suspect many pedestrians have never spotted the wonderful buildings that form King Street. I remember wandering around Nottingham as a Trent Uni student, many years ago now, and declaring King Street to be my favourite! Who would have thought I would end up owning a restaurant on that very street! I always say be careful of your words and how you use them, as they magically come back to you. For me, this is so true, they came back to me in the form of French Living.
I will always be grateful to King Street for giving us the majestic Elite building as home for our unique little business. We have grown and evolved organically into a restaurant, and yet the origins and heart of French Living have not changed. King Street, however, has not grown with us, in that it battles with the businesses in the area, seeing many of them drop away, like our wonderful Loch Fyne neighbours. The increased traffic flow, particularly of buses, combined with the recent addition of Deliveroo motor bikes and Uber cars, suck the life out of the street. People rush, heads down, and arguments frequently ensue whenever a bus driver can’t get past a badly parked van. I have noticed this progressive increase in frustration and impatience over time, witnessing numerous pedestrians knocked over on the zebra crossing at the top of the Street.
I regret not drawing attention to this unsafe and unhealthy environment developing before my eyes. I suppose we were overwhelmingly preoccupied with building the French Living name, and working hard to create a French haven inside our doors; a safe and happy place away from the chaos outside.
1997 – Step inside our King Street French haven
This is why I’m immensely proud of my son Pierre, who has stepped into the business to build the next generation of French Living fans. Some may say his task is an easy one, given that his mum and dad did the hard work in getting the business up and running, and yet I beg to differ. Passing trade and walk-ins are rare. King Street is not one you amble and wander along, peering into restaurant windows, checking out the menus; there’s nowhere to sit and gaze at the beautiful Fothergill buildings, no trees for shade or for cleaning the air. And talking of air, the high level of traffic in such a small area is a destroyer of the air we breathe. Who wants to sit among such pollution?
Pierre and colleague Anna have had enough. They can see what happens when a city centre is pedestrianised and handed back to the people who live there. It lives and breathes again. Softness returns, tensions dissolve, relaxation and laughter can be felt and heard. You only have to drop into any European city centre to feel the difference; cafe and restaurant terraces, tree-lined boulevards, spaces for playing petanque, benches to just sit and people watch….
French city life; terraces, trees, people
The French Living petition for pedestrianising King Street has finally begun. I dream for this to be realised, not just for the future of Pierre and French Living, but also for Nottingham itself, to bring visitors back into our beautiful city and to make us all healthier, happier and safer.
Please read more about this petition and support Pierre, Anna and the French Living team by signing here:
www.change.org/royalpedestrian
And make sure to confirm your email to finalise your signature.
Thank you.
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