Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine has called for action from the council to support businesses badly affected by the closure of Haymarket for the City Centre West Edinburgh Link (CCWEL) roadworks.
Ms Jardine visited businesses on Haymarket Terrace last week. Business owners told her that they have been hit by a worrying drop in footfall caused by the road closure and barriers which make public access difficult.
She also heard that both businesses and residents are concerned at the length of time the works are scheduled to take.
There are two reasons for the closure – the first is to allow SGN to divert the gas main (which is due to be completed by June 2023) and also for the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL) works to be carried out. The council explained that both sets of works were being carried out at the same time to minimise disruption. The second set of works are scheduled to take until November this year, and have been included in the CCWEL plans since it was first outlined in 2014.
The Liberal Democrat MP will be raising the concerns with both the contractors and the council to see if they can improve the situation. The CCWEL website narrates that a Business and Community Forum was held on 15 March 2023 ahead of the works beginning. Read more here.
Ms Jardine said: “This is the third time these shops have been hit this way in the recent past and some are really beginning to struggle as a result.
“It is also the last thing these businesses need during a cost of living crisis where customers are already being forced to reduce their spending.
“What they are specifical calling for is some way of speeding up the work which is currently scheduled to take around 9 months.
“That would be critical for these businesses, and I will be raising it with both the council and the contractors.
“But of course, we need to learn lessons from this. That means better communication with the businesses from the start and improved marketing support.”
Transport and Environment Convener, Cllr Scott Arthur said: “I am acutely aware of the concerns of residents and business in Haymarket Terrace. Throughout the development and delivery of the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL) project, the Council have made every effort to take the views of businesses, along with those of residents, into account, making every effort to address any issues.
“We are implementing several measures to mitigate the impacts of this work. These include visits with businesses on Haymarket Terrace, neighbourhood notifications and regular updates on the CCWEL website, social media and online advertising, lamppost wraps and signs on key approaches, banners on temporary fencing and advertising and editorial in community magazines. We remain open to dialogue with businesses and residents on how best we can support them during this period.
“Ultimately, once complete, this project will transform the area, providing a much improved environment for spending time, as well as better walking and cycling connections to and from the city. I hope and expect that the economic benefit of this will significantly benefit the local economy.”
Roseburn Traders
Many attempts were made to persuade the council to offer compensation to the Roseburn traders who tried to claim they had lost up to 70% of their trade due to the road works. The council did not approve any payment and to date have only provided the Leith Walk businesses with compensation during the tram works. This was written into the final business case which was approved by the council before work began.
Some of the business support for Leith Walk came in the form of Itison deals and vouchers. One trader in Roseburn, David Duncan, the owner of 3D cakes, set up his own loyalty scheme and reported to a meeting of the traders that by March 2022 he had sold 9,000 vouchers. On the site there are deals outside Edinburgh as well as some for businesses in the capital.
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