Street work is driving away my business
Perth shopkeeper’s fury over South Street disruption
An infuriated Perth shopkeeper has lashed out at ongoing street works he blames for driving customers away.
Barry Moreland, who runs Robertson Shoe Repairs in South Street, believes Scottish Gas Networks (SGN) have gone overboard sealing off so much of the street so its contractors can replace old metal gas mains with plastic pipes.
Kier Group showed up last month and covered the street’s pavement with fencing all the way from Tesco to the former Farmfoods forcing pedestrians to squeeze close to shop fronts to make their way up and down the street.
Half the road was also sealed off cutting the number of parking spaces available to shoppers and forcing traffic headed for the Queen’s Bridge to use just a single lane.
The work has now shifted to between Proudfoot Leather and Lambskin and Price-crushers with yet more fencing put in place restricting pedestrian movement and preventing people crossing from the other side of the street.
Mr Moreland believes this as well as the general disruption brought about by the ongoing works is driving people away from South Street.
He told the PA yesterday he understood the work might be necessary but that he couldn’t fathom why SGN felt the need to set up such a sizeable perimeter around them.
“They’ve basically shut the whole street off so people can’t cross the road and can’t get parked,” he said. “The taxi rank has had to move too and they’ve taken away the loading bays as well.
“People can only get across the road at the [pedestrian] crossings but they’re so far apart I think people are just not bothering.
“Every customer I have had coming in has said it’s ridiculous. Sometimes I can’t hear a word they’re saying because of the noise.
“Why can’t they just put wee barriers around the holes instead of all this fencing? I think it’s totally OTT.
“It’s definitely had an effect on trade and I’ll be asking for compensation when it’s all over.”
Mr Moreland went on to speculate that the works might not be finished in the time SGN had previously advised. “They told me when this started that it was going to be finished in six weeks. I can’t see that happening,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, the guys doing the work are alright, they’re just doing their job, but the work just seems to start then stop then start then stop again.
“At this rate I can’t see them being finished in six weeks. Whatever happens the street’s going to end up looking a mess anyway.
“Things were getting better on South Street with the council bringing back parking then this happens. And I bet someone else will come along in six months time needing to dig the whole street up again.”
Responding to Mr Moreland’s criticism an SGN spokesperson said yesterday: “This is a complex engineering project, using large machinery and specialist equipment. We also need to work around the other utilities in the ground, which at times can slow progress.
“All continuing well, we anticipate that we’ll be working in South Street for approximately two more weeks. Our work will then move on to Canal Street, Charles Street and Scott Street. This work will take approximately six weeks.
“We’ll then be returning to South Street for approximately another two weeks. During this stage, we’ll be working in a smaller area of South Street.
“We are sorry for inconvenience caused by our work. We understand that roadworks can be frustrating and would like thank road users and local residents for their patience while we complete our essential work.”