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community newsadd your comments to this news article  Liverpool set to create Gay VillageFriday, 14 November 2008 Liverpool city council looks likely to green-light the creation of a 'gay village' around Stanley Street by banning traffic after 10pm at the weekends and part-pedestrianising the area. Whilst the the council themselves won't give it the 'gay village' label, the proposed area is centred around G-Bar, Superstar Boudoir and Masquerade - three of Liverpool's most popular gay venues. Early estimates were that the project to put in place the traffic blocking measures such as raised bollards would cost around £500,000 - and it looks like this will be met at least in part by a European grant. Bars and pubs in the area will be encouraged to apply for pavement licences in a bid to rival the emerging café culture of Manchester's Canal Street and Soho. Whilst local businesses had originally proposed that the area be pedestrianised from 6pm, this 10pm closure could provide an important stepping stone to that goal. Whilst opinion seems to be largely in favour of the new part-pedestrianised area, there have been voices of concern. Gary Everett, director of Homotopia in Liverpool, was reported as having said "I am not convinced that social engineering of this sort is a good idea", and Stonewall's Ben Summerskill was looking forward to the day when gay villages would not be necessary, whilst cautiously welcoming the move in Liverpool.
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