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21
Feb
Bilton road closure ‘a complete disaster’, says trader
Bilton businesses have been left counting the cost of the botched closure of King Edward’s Drive.
The Stray Ferret reported last weekend the road was due to close for 10 days from yesterday (February 20) for footpath resurfacing.
North Yorkshire Council said it had offered assurances to traders that it would address any specific requirements they have to minimise the impact on businesses.
But signs saying ‘Businesses Open as Usual’ were not put up on the opening day as expected.
Traders also expected local access to be maintained but not only was King Edward’s Drive sealed off to traffic, so too were side streets joining the road.
It made for a dire day’s trading for the parade of shops, which relied almost solely on people visiting on foot.
Postmaster Andrew Hart said footfall at The Red Box was 80% down. He added:
This is a complete and utter disaster. We are all up in arms. It was agreed half the entrance would be closed with a notice saying, 'road closed, access to businesses as usual’. They have totally closed all the roads off and our couriers and customers are just driving away.
It is not fair that the independent retailers are made to suffer due to broken promises. Life for retailers is already a struggle.
King Edward's Drive this morning.
'I am worried'
Mr Hart invited the Stray Ferret to talk to other businesses on King Edward’s Drive about the situation this morning, when the road remained totally closed from Church Avenue to Albany Road.
Julia Corbett, who owns independent greengrocer Roots and Fruits, said trade was affected and this was particularly concerning as it sells fresh goods.
She added:
I am worried because Fridays and Saturdays are our busiest days and if they are not as busy I’m not able to settle bills. We can cope for one or two days but 10 days will be a stretch.
Jessica Hammond, who owns Miss Piggies café, said:
It was quiet yesterday – we were about 40% down. It was a huge disappointment, but the street was completely inaccessible to most people.
Signs last week on King Edward's Drive.
We also spoke to a member of staff, who asked not to be named, at Morrisons Daily, who said it was a “lot quieter” than usual and a 26-tonne delivery lorry struggled to arrive.
Several traders queried why the roadworks could not have been conducted in four phases to minimise disruption.
The Stray Ferret has seen correspondence between traders and a council officer saying, ‘Businesses Open as Usual’ signs would be installed first thing yesterday.
We asked the council why they did not appear and why local access was not maintained yesterday.
Karl Battersby, the council's corporate director of environment, said:
We understand the frustration and disruption that roadworks can cause and will always support businesses where possible.
On King Edward’s Drive, footway resurfacing is taking place. This requires a full road closure due to the nature of the works and for the safety of the public and highways staff.
'Businesses Open as Usual' signs are now in place, and traffic management staff are at both ends of the closure to allow customers to access them.
We will continue to monitor the situation and thank the public for their patience while the remainder of the work is carried out.
You can find details of the roadworks, which are in place to enable the footpath to be resurfaced, in our previous article here.
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