Town centre roadworks disruption is hitting my business, says shop owner

A SHOP owner in Loughborough has warned that the disruption from major roadworks in the town centre is threatening his businesses. Robin Derrick runs Crazy Daisy’s,

pictured, and Ab Fab in Ward’s End, which sell vintage and antique homeware.

Paving works are currently taking place along the shopping street as part of the £2.6 million Bedford Square Gateway Project, a revamp of the town centre to make its streets and walkways more attractive to visitors.

Mr Derrick claims that his sales have fallen by 65 per cent since the works began, despite trade returning to normal levels after the lockdown restrictions eased.

He is now considering closing down one or even both of the shops, as the street has become a “ghost town” in recent weeks.

“Peop le aren’t coming down because of the noise and the mess. You have heavy machinery coming down the street.

It’s not a welcoming place”, said Mr Derrick.

“Ward’s End is a nice little shopping area. We feel forgotten about, because this work takes priority. I think they are hoping we will lay down and take it. We won’t.”

He said that one day wet tar was laid outside near his shop, with customers walking over it and coming in, leaving black stains on his carpet that he has not been able to remove.

The frustrated vendor said: “We are not against the improvement scheme.

“Our concern is we were locked down for so many months, and now they are doing the improvements. The timing is ridiculous. “The grants have gone on [paying] our rent and rates on our shops, to live on.

“We can’t invest in new stock. The grants were for Covid, not this.”

He is also concerned about plans to close Ward’s End for two months from early September as further paving works take place, as deliveries to his shops, which can include large furnishings, will have to park up further away.

The gateway project will involve the creation of a large open space in Devonshire Square, with fresh street lighting to be installed.

Charnwood Borough Council is overseeing the works, which started in February this year.

A spokesman said: “We have consulted local businesses and others as the scheme has been developed.

“We announced last year that work would start in 2021 and with our contractor we have tried to keep disruption to a minimum.

“However, a scheme of this size cannot be carried out without some disruption as we are making significant improvements to the area.

“We absolutely recognise how tough the past 16 months have been for local businesses and the impact the pandemic has had on some of them.

“However, the whole purpose of the Bedford Square scheme is to make that part of town more attractive to visitors to boost footfall. We cannot achieve that without doing the work.”

Free parking has been offered to visitors while the works are going on, in a bid to attract more shoppers to the centre.

The spokesman said: “We have also kept local businesses and residents informed about the progress of the project and listened to their concerns. This will continue.

“Once this phase of work in Ward’s End is complete, then the most disruptive part of the scheme will be over and we can soon look forward to seeing people enjoying a much better experience when visiting Bedford Square, Ward’s End and Devonshire Square.”

People aren’t coming down because of the noise and the mess. It’s not a welcoming place.

Robin Derrick, who runs Crazy Daisy’s and Ab Fab