Traders say Main Street situation has now reached critical
Businesses call on councillors to step into help
Traders have joined forces to demand action on Cambuslang Main Street before business deteriorates further.
Earlier this year it was reported that one in five shop owners were considering their future in the town.
And that figure shows no signs of changing, with traders now saying the Main Street has reached a critical point.
The recent opening of another charity shop on the street has been seen by some as the final straw, and they have called on the three local councillors to make good on promises they made during the election campaign.
Issues such as a lack of variety of shops, parking and the state of the pavements have been raised by those who run businesses on the street.
David Lindsay, who owns Maestro hair salon, revealed he could leave the street after 30 years.
He said: “As things stand right now, I will be closing the salon. I just don’t see a way forward.
“There is no variety of shops. People have cars now so they can just go to Morrisons, I understand that.
“But then you look at places like Burnside. People will say there is money there, but there is money in Cambuslang. We are surrounded by lawyers, doctors, consultants.
“There is a massive amount of money here but it isn’t staying in the town.
“I have worked on this Main Street for 30 years and to have to call it a day through no fault of my own is horrendous.”
Julie Baxter, manager of the M&Co, said the store “had been under threat.” She added: “There is nothing else to come down here for.
“We just need a wider variety of shops, somewhere to get a loaf of bread or a pint of milk rather than Morrisons or Farmfoods.
“The council needs to lower the business rates or something like that.
“How many more charity shops do we need? We need everyday shops like a grocer or a B&M, just somewhere to pick up a bit of shopping. There is only one cash machine and that runs out of money all the time.”
Angeline Coyle, who runs the Tea Bay cafe, called on local councillors to take control of decision making in Cambuslang.
She said elected members were merely rubberstamping decisions made by council officers, who she said were “unaccountable.”
She added: “It is time for councillors to start taking responsibility. The council should be approaching stores like Tesco and asking them to take on empty units.
“Perhaps they could look into compulsory purchase orders.
“All the councillors vowed to make the Main Street a priority. It is time they did that.”
Speaking about the opening of another charity shop, Councillor Ann Le Blond said the council had no power over private lets.
She said: “Unless it is a change of use then it will not need to go by the council.
“We have no impact on who a landlord wants to let a shop out to.
“All three councillors made promises but we never promised we could fix everything within six months.
“It is going to be a long process. There is no question of political gain here, we want to work with the traders but it will take time.”