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7:00pm Monday 25th January 2010
POOLE traders hit by a three-month road closure say they have been left fighting for their livelihoods through “poor planning” by the authorities.
Businesses at the lower end of the High Street have watched takings plummet since gas main replacement work began on January 11.
The work has all but cut off the stretch of road, something the hard-pressed traders have become used to in recent years.
The redevelopment of Old Orchard restricted access to the lower end of the High Street for many months.
Traders are now demanding to know why the gas main was not done at the same time to minimise the impact on them.
Pete Miles, owner of Storm Restaurant, said: “It’s madness to dig it all up for a second time.
“It’s poor planning.”
John Macey, owner of Axent Embroidery, has already seen his business drop off around 50 per cent since the start of the roadworks.
He said: “What are they trying to do to the lower end of the High Street?
“There is no cohesive thinking.
“We have had so much disruption over the past few years.” Town centre manager for Poole Richard Randle-Jones said the work had to be done in stages or emergency vehicles would not have been able to reach that area.
He said: “There is never a convenient time to do this type of work.”
The town centre manager urged people to still visit the shops and restaurants on foot.
He added that businesses were eligible for compensation from Southern Gas Networks if repairs lasted more than four weeks.
Duncan MacDonald, spokesman for Southern Gas, said their payouts were in line with Ofgem guidelines.
ben111, Ringwood says...
8:13am Tue 26 Jan 10
wonderway, boscombe says...
8:27am Tue 26 Jan 10
wayneofafcb wrote:Dont worry Poole . Boscombe they dug a hole in precinct in March 2009..... filled it in with concrete in September and comming back next week to dig it up again to actual finnish it will take them till March 2010to the complete work
Walked past there twice, and no one working in early afternoon. Same with the works by New Inn pub. There is no way it should atke more than a fortnight to dig up a road, lay a pipe, and tarmac it again
wonderway, boscombe says...
8:27am Tue 26 Jan 10
wayneofafcb wrote:Dont worry Poole . Boscombe they dug a hole in precinct in March 2009..... filled it in with concrete in September and comming back next week to dig it up again to actual finnish it will take them till March 2010to the complete work
Walked past there twice, and no one working in early afternoon. Same with the works by New Inn pub. There is no way it should atke more than a fortnight to dig up a road, lay a pipe, and tarmac it again
Inner Sanctum, Poole says...
10:09am Tue 26 Jan 10
sea poole, poole says...
1:32pm Tue 26 Jan 10
ltm, Upton says...
2:41pm Tue 26 Jan 10
samsmith, Dorset says...
5:36pm Tue 26 Jan 10
Inner Sanctum, Poole says...
10:12am Wed 27 Jan 10
herne, poole says...
5:59am Thu 28 Jan 10
Inner Sanctum, Poole says...
11:33am Wed 3 Feb 10
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wayneofafcb, poole says...
7:48am Tue 26 Jan 10