Businesses hit hard by Allen Street roadworks
The business owners claim that the closure of a portion of Allen Street, which intersects with Kirkland Street and leads toward Taxi City, has severely hindered customer access to their stores and is hurting sales.
A group of frustrated business owners in Kirkland Street in the CBD met with Newcastle municipal officials on Tuesday (November 12) to voice their concerns over the negative impact of ongoing road works.
Business owners who spoke to the Newcastle Advertiser on condition of anonymity were united in their anger.
One recounted his shock when he arrived at his shop on October 31, only to find he had no access to his business as the road had been torn overnight.
“I was surprised to find that we could not gain access to the area. I found a contractor sitting in his car and asked him why the road had suddenly overnight been ripped up at the busiest time of the month,” the owner said.
Frustrated local business owners contacted Ward Councillor Shandy Singh upset that there had been no prior notice of the road works. However, Cllr Singh had also not received notification. After being alerted by the businesses, he reached out to the relevant department and learned that the intersection would be completely overhauled all at once, rather than in phases, leading to significant disruption for local businesses and exacerbating their frustration.
While Cllr Singh fully supports the need for road refurbishment, he believes the timing of the project was problematic.
“Given the road’s poor condition, I agree with the municipality’s decision to refurbish it, but with the year-end and festive season fast approaching, I feel this project should have been postponed until the New Year,” he said.
With the festive season pending, businesses are concerned that sales will suffer from a drop in foot traffic.
Another business owner reported a significant decline in customer traffic, with their store’s customer count down by 4,948 over the past 19 days and turnover plummeting by over R1.4 million.
Business owners criticized the municipality’s lack of planning noting the lack of notice and questioning why the work had not been done in phases to mitigate the negative effect on trade.
“Why close off the intersection in the heart of the CBD?” was the lament of all business owners.
Business owners criticized the municipality’s lack of planning noting the lack of notice and questioning why the work had not been done in phases to mitigate the negative effect on trade.
“Why close off the intersection in the heart of the CBD in the busiest time of the year?” was the lament of all business owners.
In response to the complaints, municipal officials present on the day of the meeting promised to temporarily open a portion of the road to allow temporary business access. The head of the department in charge of the project promised that the project would be completed by the end of November, stating that tar and all the necessary equipment needed had already been sourced.
Although the lane was open for two days, due to ongoing works, it has been closed off again as of Monday (November 18).
The Newcastle municipality was sent a formal media inquiry. Though they have acknowledged receipt of such, there had been no official response at the time of print.
For more on this story, see the front page of this week’s Newcastle Advertiser.
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