Closure of Brooke Road, Oakham has cut trade in Mill Street, according to owners of Snapdragon and Etta Lingerie
A town centre road closure has left traders fearing for their futures.
Business owners in Oakham who are still feeling the effect of the pandemic and battling with the cost of living crisis are facing yet another blow.
Traders in Mill Street say they have seen customer numbers dwindle as a result of the closure of Brooke Road.
A section of the road has been shut to traffic and pedestrians since July while work takes place on a housing development of 40 homes called Allotment Gardens and to widen the road - a closure which was meant to last three months but has now been extended until November 30.
Debbie Oakes, owner of clothing and gift shop Snapdragon, said she is 50% down in her takings because of the closure - a similar figure to many other businesses in the town centre street.
She said: “We are so upset and we have got to fight back.
“If this was anywhere else in Europe it wouldn’t be happening.
“Everyone is really terrified.”
As the countdown to Christmas is on, Debbie fears the busiest period in retail could be quiet, which would have an irreversible impact on her business.
“It is so close to the wire with retail,” the 65-year-old said.
“We never bounced back properly after covid.”
Hetty Arnold opened Etta Lingerie and Nightwear in Mill Street at the beginning of this year and following a booming start was left baffled after a significant drop in trade.
She can now go a day without a customer.
After discussions with other traders in Mill Street, Hetty posted on an Oakham community Facebook page to find out from shoppers whether their habits had changed. A number of comments confirmed her suspicions.
She said: “There were loads of comments from people saying the traffic is so bad they don’t bother coming in as a lot of people live on the other side of the closure.
“People aren’t even walking by - there’s no point as they have to go back on themselves.”
According to the traders, part of the confusion was a road closure sign at the bottom of Mill Street, which related to the Brooke Road closure.
Hetty is opening a shop in Stamford this week, with a launch event planned for Friday featuring The Voice UK contestant Eda Nives, which she hopes will bolster her business.
The 30-year-old said: “We have a very exciting future planned for ourselves in Stamford - although I haven’t lost hope with Oakham.
“We occasionally have days in Oakham which really make up for it but then sometimes you sit there and nothing happens - I don’t know what more we can do.
“We signed into a lease so we can’t just up and go. There is no choice but to stay here and to make it work.”
The road closure previously left residents ‘up in arms’ as they claimed they weren’t given notice and were ignored when they contacted the council.
Hetty and Debbie both say they have faced similar issues - a claim which the council refutes.
A spokesperson for Rutland County Council said: “Residents and properties in the immediate area of the development have been informed of works and any changes to these works as soon as possible.
“There is an alternative pedestrian route into town that is of equal distance to that that has been shut and we have also extended the route on the Oakham Hopper to ensure that those with any mobility issues can continue to access the town and the businesses that are in the area.”
They added: “The work is being undertaken on the highway and therefore we would be unable to open any lanes, until work is complete this is a development site and our first priority is public safety.
“The developers have put in place someone to monitor pedestrian traffic in the morning and afternoon for schools but this is not something that they can put in place all hours.”