Covid barriers Bard for business in tourist town
Council tarmacs road up to temporary barriers in Stratford
THERE is much ado about something in Shakespeare country after traders condemned the resurfacing of roads up to temporary safety barriers – but not beyond.
Stratford-upon-Avon shopkeepers say the garish barriers – installed to improve social distancing – and the unfinished tarmac will be damaging to business when lockdown is lifted.
Tourists who were able to visit after the first lockdown said it “looked like there had been a terrorist attack” due to the number of safety barriers erected.
The bright yellow barricades were placed along streets outside stores, cafes and restaurants, making it impossible to park or gain access for deliveries.
Now roads have been partially resurfaced, which has left tarmac running down the centre of some streets.
Shop owners say they are being forced to move elsewhere in a bid to save their livelihoods after the chaotic social distancing measures crippled businesses.
They said customers had also started branding the place Blackpoolupon-Avon after funfairs were allowed during the pandemic while their business suffered.
So far, the measures implemented in the Warwickshire town following
the end of the first lockdown have cost at least £192,000.
Art gallery owner Emma Clegg, 50, told how she had been forced to up sticks and leave for Broadway in the Cotswolds.
She said clients stopped venturing into the town due to a lack of parking and the new confusing road system. She was also unable to receive deliveries due to the barriers.
Ms Clegg, who runs The Stratford Gallery, said: “The pandemic was such a body blow for all the retailers.
“The weekend before we were allowed to reopen they put up all these barriers which were an absolute eyesore. Stratford is an old town, not a modern shopping mall. There are no rear entrances so we couldn’t have deliveries as the vans couldn’t get to us.
“They were having to stop in the middle of the road and were having to hand stuff over the barriers.
“Our customers couldn’t even come and collect work. The barriers just made it really difficult for people to navigate the town.
“The council also changed the traffic system so it didn’t flow anymore and even the locals were saying they couldn’t even find their way around the town.
“A lot of our customers were phoning us and saying that they were giving up and were going home.”
Ms Clegg, who runs the gallery with husband Howard, 52, said a petition was launched and signed by
over 100 people. But their pleas to town hall chiefs fell on deaf ears. She added: “It was all ridiculous and badly thought through – all the shops were up in arms.
“The undertakers a few doors down from us were stuck as they had left the barrier so narrow that they couldn’t get the hearse out.
“We had a group Zoom call with about 40 people on it and it was quite emotional and highly charged.
“Even people like lawyers and dentists were saying this is a nightmare and their clients couldn’t get to see them. Boots and M&S were also on that call and they were saying their takings went down proportionately to how much their others shops were making.
“That’s how damaging it was. People just weren’t bothering to come into town, they couldn’t park and couldn’t get into stores. Customers said how it just looked like a terrorist attack had happened with all the barriers. They had also started to call it
Blackpool-upon-Avon as a funfair was allowed even though they were insisting on social distancing in the town – it was just nuts.”
Retail giant Marks & Spencer also said trading had been especially difficult in the centre of the medieval market town.
A spokesperson said: “The last year has been challenging for the whole retail industry and we know that local customers have sometimes found it more difficult to access our Bridge Street store due to pedestrian access issues and the temporary suspension of parking outside the store.”
Harry Fone, grassroots campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Stratford taxpayers don’t want to see their money wasted in the rush to change local roads unnecessarily, especially when their council tax is about to rise.
“The council’s original intentions may have been good, but the huge cost of the scheme should be proof enough that residents are being harmfully affected. Councillors should heed the concerns of locals and review the suitability of these measures immediately.”
Councillor Jeff Clarke, portfolio holder for transport and highways at Warwickshire County Council, said: “The barriers are remaining on Bridge Street as these form part of the Covid-19 town centre scheme, which allows additional space for pedestrians to adhere to social distancing rules.”
The pandemic was such a body blow for all the retailers. Stratford is an old town, not a modern shopping mall. Emma Clegg