Carole Emery, owner of Dress Circle, is angry that her business has dropped significantly since the work on Fore Street began in August.

Ipswich: Business owners hit out over roadwork nightmare

BY HOLLIE-RAE MERRICK Monday, September 10, 2012
10:00 AM

TOWN centre business owners today claimed they were being forgotten about as “never-ending roadworks” continue to hamper their takings.

National Grid began to carry out roadworks to replace the gas mains in Fore Street, Ipswich, and the surrounding roads back in April, with access to businesses being almost completely cut-off.

Business owners queued up to speak to The Star to hit out over the digging, which they say has “sucked the life” out of that part of Ipswich. The work, which is on the junction between Fore Street, Orwell Place, Upper Orwell Street and Eagle Street, has made it difficult for shoppers to reach certain buildings in the area.

Carole Emery, owner of the Dress Circle in Fore Street, said passing trade had decreased by more than 50 per cent since the roadworks began.

“On a Saturday we usually take about £200 to £300 but there have been days when we have taken just £17 – and that’s ridiculous. There is no way a business can survive on that – £17 doesn’t even pay for the lighting. My takings are 50pc down and I think all the businesses surrounding the roadworks have been affected by this.

“This is a recession, business is tough enough as it is and then this happens.”

David East, owner of Daman Interiors in Orwell Place, said the work left his business “completely invisible”.

“I think it is just disgusting that our businesses are all suffering because of these never-ending roadworks,” he said. “End dates appear to have gone out the window and our business are now completely invisible because the outsides are surrounded by metal fencing and diggers.”

Claire Kalinowska, owner of K’s Coffee Lounge, in Fore Street, said: “The works have affected our business as people are loath to walk past a building site.”

On completion of the works, the county council is set to finish off the resurfacing of the roads, which had been required before the work by National Grid began. The council co-ordinated the work so that transport officials could finish off the surface to meet their design. In Fore Street, block paving will be put in place, with other road surfacing in the surrounding areas.

A council spokesman said they were ready to begin as soon as National Grid was finished.

n What do you think about this issue? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or send an e-mail to starletters@archant.co.uk

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15 comments

It's a disgrace. The lady in the article is quite right and I for one am loathe to walk past a building site because of the cat-calls and wolf-whistles. But if she is paying more than £17 a month for her lighting she should change her lighting supplier or fit low energy light bulbs.

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bigger niche

Wednesday, September 12, 2012
In reply to Opinion Man - business interruption insurance does not cover contractors disruption via roadworks etc ( unless they drive a digger through your shop window that is ! ). We are not moaning about disputing that the work may be necessary, but about the time taken to complete it. National Grid never appear to have many people on site actually working. For every one person actually doing something, another two seem to be "supervising" , and there are long spells and days when nothing has happened at all. All in all, there seems to be a total lack of urgency to complete the work in order to minimise the disruption to all the traders in the affected areas. This east side of town is just being treated with total disregard by the relevant authorities, probably because we are all just small independent businesses with no clout. The smarter west side of town has the council offices, banks, insurance companies,larger shops and stores, police headquarters, etc.,etc. Somehow I cannot see the disruption we have been suffering for months, being tolerated in that area. We are all locked into leases, so cannot just move elsewhere, and of course have to pay business rates or be carted off to jail. With turnover dramatically down due to these roadworks cutting off all road access to the area by car or bus, many traders are facing disaster, and each small business that closes is a personal tragedy to the owner and his or her family, as well as adding to the countless number of already empty shops in the town.

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David East

Tuesday, September 11, 2012
why are the council putting a new cinema in buttermarket ? they closed the one in the corn exchange because it didn't get enough use to be viable the odeon was when opened a state of the art building but has been closed and empty for years ..so another cinema just what the town needs..as for the new university again surrounded by empty units .you hear in the news how the number of people going to the university is dwindling as they don't want to be laden with debt.. people complain that the park and ride was closed but again had it been used and was profitable it would still be open ..as i stated earlier is about supply and demand but this council only looks at how much profit they can make from the developers ..it is all very well having great plans but take a look around the town there are far more negatives than positives ..the council say the traffic "improvements" are making Ipswich fit for the 21st century but fit for what? some one said in here the council doesn't want cars in the town that is obvious but people lead busy lives and rather than being forced onto expensive public transport people will just stay away ...and it will take more than a few bikes coming through town to change that !!!

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Paul Hales

Monday, September 10, 2012
Any business has the choice of taking out business ineruption insurance to pay out if there business is losing takings due to essential works by utility companies. What if they did not repalce the gas main and it broke in winter ? They would not be able to heat their shop and operate as a business as their are laws on minimum tempreatures. The businesses moan about the short term but do not think of the long term benefits. it was there choice not to take a policy out so why moan ?

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the opinion man

Monday, September 10, 2012
MIGUEL100 I take it you dont use the bus then, if you do you would notice a difference in the que time! so it did work. You must be a car driver, granted there is problems but its not the traffic lights, it was much worse when that roundabout was there. As i use to experience it every morning on the bus. It used to take 20 to 30 minutes to get down that hill now max time it take to get down there is 5 to 9 minutes at peek times.

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Jason Pilbury

Monday, September 10, 2012
@ George - Yes following a huge summer full of events which have boosted the local economy and brought the feel-good factor. Ipswich in ten years will be thriving. Things are looking up. It needed to change and the change is happening. Empty shops in Carr street? So what? Times are changing. Stop focusing in the negatives and look to the positives - National sporting events, a growing university with exciting plans, the signs of developers building more round the waterfront AND changes to the town centre including the new cinema and restaurant units. Its about the future, not the past. As for the roads, don't know what you're moaning about. All town and cities suffer congestion. Ipswich is not unique in this, and actually its far better than many!

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Scott Brock

Monday, September 10, 2012
Ipswich seem to be going bad to worse ,, take what was duke st roundabout , all that money spent , has it solved the problem , no , you are still queueing back to the top of bishops hill to get into town ,, what the council will not addres is putting a good road infrastructure round this town

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MIGUEL100

Monday, September 10, 2012
Ipswich is a dying town, just look at the empty units in Carr Street, with even more businesses either closing down or relocating. Ipswich Borough Council with its excessive parking charges are succesfully killing the shopping centre. With more traffic lights, congestion and polution Ipswich will be dead as a shopping area within a decade or sooner. The County Council closed an excellent park and ride causing traffic problems on Whitehouse Road. With all the roads in the Dock area becoming narrower, problems will occur with emergency vehicles trying to get through.

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George Ipswich

Monday, September 10, 2012
@Jason - Businesses were warned but what do you expect them to do? Shut up shop and move! Work has to be done but there are better ways. I admit that the work on that junction really make it hard to get through as a single person. Buggies and families would struggle! @beerlover - I believe it's all this "Fit for the 21st centruary" nonsense. What that actually means is making the town centre as unfriendly to cars as possible and get people on foot, bike and bus instead. What the planners have seriously failed to realize (and never address when I raised it in the planning time) is that people live in the town centre. I now have to use a number of side roads in order to get around thanks to all the improvements!

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Chris Church

Monday, September 10, 2012
Surprised the retailers are complaining about the lack of trade when not even K's coffee lounge chose to open on Sunday for the Tour of Britain SkyRide when all the cafes that were open were heaving with trade.

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Rowland Shaw

Monday, September 10, 2012
I really do feel incredibly sorry for anyone trying to make a living in this town ..if the lady in this story thinks it is bad now wait until all the roadworks are finished and the new traffic system is finished to connect the nearly empty town center to the unfinished water front...if people were being honest if you lived in a surrounding town why would you want to come to Ipswich? car parking is expensive most of the time the roads are gridlocked because of this councils anti car policy..there have been lots of projects done by this council that are half finished or units are still empty but yet they continue to allow more to be built (the new Tesco development)..i always thought business was about supply and demand ..but this council really doesn't have a clue .. i try and avoid driving anywhere in this town unless i have to because it is a joke someone is going to die one day because an ambulance or fire engine will be unable to get through to an emergency is all very well having lights and sirens but if the cars have no where to go they are not much use ..i am not anti Ipswich there are some lovely parts of the town but it is gradually being eroded by the short sightedness and greed of this council.. but then again it was the people of Ipswich who voted them in!!!

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Paul Hales

Monday, September 10, 2012
£17 for pay for lighting? Is she running Las Vegas? A light bulb costs £0.007 per hour. She must have over 300 bulbs. Anyways, Ipswich needs to get itself organised. These works were done in Bury last year and not a single complaint or problem. Its all for your own benefits and the works needs doing.

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Robert Ward

Monday, September 10, 2012
Some rather more intelligent co-ordination of other roadworks might have helped. While Fore Street Eagle Street have been blocked, there have also been blockages all over the east side of the town centre. Two other places in Fore Street, at least one in Key Street, three in Star Lane, at least one in Grimwade Street and the long-running blockage by the old Odeon. When I'm finding it hard to get in or out of town even on my bike, I start to think somebody's trying to isolate Ipswich town centre completely.

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beerlover

Monday, September 10, 2012
Michael Ager Businesses were warned of the works a year in hand so they have had plenty of time to prepare and woodbridge is a nice place but not for shopping for me anyway why would i travel there just to get a few things no not worth it maybe a day out but not shopping.

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Jason Pilbury

Monday, September 10, 2012
When will Ipswich ever learn? No access, excessive car parking charges (even on Sundays!) Woodbridge is so nice.

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Michael Ager

Monday, September 10, 2012

Ipswich: Business owners hit out over roadwork nightmare

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