Hertfordshire County Council has confirmed that Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs) for Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) will remain free, in a move welcomed by Visit Hitchin after concerns that charges of almost £2,000 could have threatened future town centre events.

TTROs are required to legally close roads for events such as markets, festivals and community celebrations. Standard applications can normally cost more than £2,000, but the county council has confirmed that BIDs will continue to be exempt from those fees, helping to support high street events across Hertfordshire.

The announcement follows recent calls from the council for greater flexibility around road closure rules to help communities stage events more easily.

Visit Hitchin Town Centre Manager Danny Pearson said the decision was "a welcome step in the right direction" and highlighted the success of two recent weekends in the town.

He said: "The Visit Hitchin team wish to thank Herts County Council for this welcome step in the right direction. If you have been lucky enough to be in the town square the last two Saturdays, then you would have seen the town centre at its best.

"At Hitchin Comic Con & Toy Fair we had an excellent mix of people on Saturday July 11th. We had Iron Maiden fans, Luton Town FC fans (as they were playing Hitchin FC) and we had our very own Hitchin Comic Con on. So, we had metal fans, football fans and storm troopers all enjoying the town centre at the same time.

"Kids of all ages and people from all backgrounds were enjoying themselves in a safe space… the businesses did very well too."

Mr Pearson said the following weekend's Hitchin Wrestling and Bucklersbury Day also demonstrated the value of being able to pedestrianise the town centre.

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"Last Saturday we had Hitchin Wrestling and Bucklersbury Day. The day was well attended and continued to be busy into the early evening. The weather even decided to be kind to us.

"The businesses were sprawled out onto the closed street, and it looked, smelled, and sounded great. The feedback was very positive. We attracted people from many of the surrounding towns and villages."

He added that keeping TTROs free was vital to the future of events in Hitchin.

"I think these two examples alone show how important it is to keep these TTROs alive, and free for the town centre community.

"We simply would not be able to host them if we had to pay close to £2,000.

"Again, we wish to thank Hertfordshire County Council and especially our local HCC councillors. It feels like they are listening and are taking the right actions on this. We know how much they love this town."

The decision is expected to provide reassurance for Visit Hitchin and other Business Improvement Districts planning future town centre events, ensuring road closure costs do not become a barrier to bringing visitors into local high streets