WARRINGTON town centre traders fear a half million pound project to regenerate Bridge Street could put them out of business before Christmas!
Newsagent Shahbaz Ahmed who runs Bridge Street News claims he has lost 90 per cent of his trade since the works started in August.
He has placed a poster in his shop window “thanking” Warrington council for “brilliant plans and after service.”
The poster also thanks contractors for a “top speed of 2.2 tiles a day” for laying new block paving, which some say is slippy and dangerous.
Mr Ahmed fears he could be out of business before the end of the year due to the loss of trade caused by the works.
Another trader John Tisdall, who runs Warrington Audio Visual, says he has seen some sections of work being done THREE times, as it has been laid incorrectly.
“October to December is normally our busiest time of the year – but some weeks we have been up to fifty per cent down on last year since the works started,” he said.
“We have asked the council for compensation, or at the very least to freeze our rates while the works are taking place – but they say nothing can be considered before the works are completed.
“It was meant to be a 12-16 week project but from how it looks at the moment I can’t see it being done in time for Christmas
“Trading times are bad enough without the added problem of these so called improvements.
“We will certainly be seeking compensation.”
Other traders complained about the “cavalier” attitude of workmen, with some appearing more concerned with chatting up or wolf whistling at passing women, rather than paying attention to the work in hand.
Deputy leader of the council Cllr. Mike Hannon, (pictured left) who holds the council’s portfolio for the town centre, was so concerned about the claims he visited the scene to see the works first hand.
“From what I could see with my builder’s hat on the works did not look too bad – but they may have been tidied up following complaints.
“I have asked for all the points raised by traders to be fully investigated.”
The works taking place on Bridge Street
4 Comments
Sounds like yet another example of the wonderful planning and workmanship adopted by our Council. It’s little wonder the country is in the mess it is with the time it takes to make even the smallest “improvement” or repair. On top of this the recent road marking work in Woolston went on for a ridiculous length of time and some of it looked really sloppy with as many workmen standing watching as actually working.
Hannon says, “The work doesn’t seem too bad”. To anyone who doesn’t speak in Councilese that means, “very poor”.
What better time to start road works in and around the city centre than in the run up to the busiest time of the year – CHRISTMAS? It could not have been planned for greater impact. Haggis is right this is yet another example of our wonderful planning. What with Wooloston, and the Bridgefoot debacle this surely is another own goal. After the latter we were told lessons had been learned and because so many minions were involved or seniors were disinterested no one was to blame.
Cllr Hannon should put his builder’s hat – if he ever had one – on the right way round and his glasses, roll up his sleeves and make sure the work is completed within the contracted time. If past performance is anything to go on we will shortly be told there was no specified time for completion, or that there have been so many alterations that that time is now unenforceable.