We look at the impact roadworks are having on the traders in Willenhall town centre

Express & Star

We look at the impact roadworks are having on the traders in Willenhall town centre.

Transcript

00:00Willanall, the home of the lock industry, was once also a thriving market town.

00:08But traders say they're now struggling due to a string of roadworks going on on the main road

00:16and also lack of proper amenities for shoppers to use, including toilets.

00:24The traders want to know what the authorities, the council and the transport authorities are doing

00:32to help them to get through this problem.

00:36It's the buses as well, people complaining.

00:39It's on the same bus stop, it's further down, they can't bother to walk down.

00:43They're finding it hard to come down.

00:45So they're finding it hard to get on the 529, which runs between Worsal and Wobounds.

00:49And also they want to go to Worsal Road, they can't get there.

00:54Worsal, you know, they're in the railway station, traffic, they're complaining about that.

00:59So they have to go all the way around because it's all one way.

01:02And it's made the business town really worse than what it was.

01:06It's quiet and it's gone more quiet.

01:09Can you just explain to us, now my understanding is that the traders have worked really hard

01:16to get some of the stalls back into Will and All and that picked up.

01:21So what's happened to the trade?

01:24What's happened to the stallholders since the road trip?

01:27The Will and All people don't come here because it's a town condition, you know.

01:30They need to get some toilets.

01:32There's no toilets here.

01:34And the shops really need to spend some more money into the town, yeah, to improve everything.

01:40There's too many charity shops and all that, you know, cafes and all that.

01:43Yeah, okay, yeah.

01:44Okay, so going back to the stallholders, how many are missing now since the road works on the main road?

01:51I think about five, six stalls are missing from here.

01:54Yeah, yeah.

01:55It used to be a lovely market one time, it used to be double market running.

01:58Yeah.

01:59Wednesdays or Fridays actually is worse here.

02:02Yeah, yeah.

02:03Okay, and then since the road works, have we seen less traders coming in?

02:08Yeah, less, yeah, less.

02:09Nobody comes here, especially the older people.

02:11Well, I have a customer, they are older.

02:12Yeah.

02:13I don't see anything all day, we don't do nothing, yeah.

02:15Right, so there's less customers, less shoppers, less footfall, and less traders coming in?

02:20Less traders, yeah.

02:20Coming in?

02:21Yeah, no taxis, there used to be loads of taxis and all used to come.

02:24Yeah.

02:24There's nothing coming in now.

02:26Right, okay.

02:27Yeah, okay.

02:28Does that affect you here at your shop?

02:29Yeah, my business has really gone half than what it was, you know, on the side.

02:33Okay.

02:33We are really struggling.

02:35They need to put the rights down because they're putting the rights up because we're not doing nothing,

02:38we can't afford nothing.

02:39Yeah, yeah, it's terrible, you know.

02:41Willow Hall's a lovely town.

02:43Yeah.

02:43Because people don't come here.

02:44Yeah.

02:45Yeah.

02:45So we're all good, yeah, you know, everybody works hard.

02:48Yeah.

02:49Yeah.

02:49But you're not seeing the benefits of it?

02:50No, no, it's hard, very hard.

02:52It's boring, it's drugs all day.

02:54Yeah.

02:54We're trying hard to get all the stock and everything, but people don't come.

02:57We're trying hard to get.

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