BUSINESS owners in Highcliffe have expressed concerns about the state of the village’s main road, claiming that the high street has “lost its spark”.

Following the commencing of demolition work to the G&T store on the A337 Lymington Road, many residents in the area expressed fears over the number of empty units on the high street and the lack of footfall in the area.

Whilst a few new businesses have opened during the past two years, many people have said that the village, like others across the conurbation, is struggling to drag itself out of the pandemic gloom.

Read more: Demolition work begins on former G&T store in Highcliffe

Terje Saks, who has owned of The Sewing Room on Lymington Road for eight years, said: “It feels as though the high street has lost its spark at the moment.

“There are these new developments which are what the high street needs, but we are still having the same problems with traffic and parking.”

She added: “Before the three councils merged and the council office was based in Christchurch, it felt that we were always considered. Now it is too far away.

“They don’t know what is happening in a little village like Highcliffe. Sometimes it feels as though they don’t even care.

“They are happy to put more money into or signing off on more developments, but they should be helping the businesses that are already here.”

Read more: Former G&Ts store in Highcliffe to be demolished to make way for flats

However Lynda Reading, owner of Beauty Highcliffe, thinks that the new developments planned for the village and the new leases taken by businesses owners in the area is “improving” the high street.

“I think some places just need to take the plunge and open more regularly. If you walk down the high street, especially during the week, it can look like there are lots of places have closed down but lot of them are just closed for the day", she said.

Yet, her main issue, like many other shop owners, is the lack of sufficient parking and the short duration for street side parking rendering long visits impossible.

Lynda added: “If you go over to Southbourne, which is not all that different from Highcliffe in terms of the types of shops there, you can park there for two hours which is enough time to have a good wander and visit a few shops.

“Whilst here, you can only park for 30 minutes which is probably enough time to do a shop at Tesco’s or pop into one of two shops but that’s it."