Gordon Urges Action Now After Talks With Traders
Gordon has met local traders on Bond Street and Waterloo Road who are lobbying the Council for an urgent change of mind on the one-way traffic flow systems in the area, which has seen a dramatic downturn in the number of shoppers there.
Gordon walked round the area and talked to a range of traders and café owners who have seen dramatic falls in custom. He said since the one way system was introduced last year customers have great difficulty in accessing the streets; “I have been warning the Council for some time that people here feel this is because many holiday makers do not even know that there is a shopping area here. There is no signage on the promenade and at entry points from the promenade by car. They also expressed their frustration about some people using the streets as a car park.'
I met with Helen France, the Regeneration officer at the Council back in May arguing things were at crisis point with businesses ceasing to trade on a weekly basis. This is the third time I’ve done a walkabout talking to the people here in recent months – Something must be done urgently. The traders feel the Council have been too complacent in simply blaming the general economic climate rather than the road changes for the decline.”
“They have set up the South Beach Area Tourist Association and conducted a survey of 23 businesses in Bond Street. The results of this reinforce their belief that Bond Street should be changed back to a two-way street for a trial period of one year. They would like to monitor this with the Council and also to contribute fully to a Bond Street Action Plan.”
Gordon continued; “It is clear that flaws in the original consultation by the Council on the one-way system and their unwillingness to consider modification to date has been a factor in the current untenable situation. I ask the Council to look urgently at access from the Prom now, study the recent business survey and meet urgently and positively with the Traders and Association to discuss their action plan. Without this the situation will become untenable. Do we really want a ghost town in what was once one of South Shore’s most thriving and attractive thoroughfares?”
