Edinburgh bar manager hits out after being fenced in for 240 days

Edinburgh Evening News

An Edinburgh bar manager has taken aim at the council after being ‘fenced in’ since the beginning of the year.  Graham Parsons, who runs the Roseleaf Bar Café with his wife Kylie, said ongoing works in Sandport Place in Leith have led to a decline in passing trade which he described as ‘the lifeblood’ of the hospitality sector.  The ongoing works form part of the Leith Connections project to deliver ‘new community spaces’ and provide improved environments for walking, wheeling and cycling in the Leith area. The project includes a new pedestrian and cycle link between the Foot of the Walk and Dock Street which got underway in November.

Transcript

00:00An Edinburgh Council project designed to improve walking and cycling conditions in the north of

00:06the city has left some Leith businesses frustrated due to disruption caused from ongoing roadworks.

00:12Graham Parsons, who runs the Roseleaf Bar Cafe with his wife Kylie, was told in January that

00:18construction fences erected outside his bar would be removed within two months, but now more than

00:24200 days later they remain in place. He said the barriers have led to a decline in footfall in

00:29the area and although he supports the project believes the delivery of the scheme has been poor.

00:35It's made it very difficult for us to attract passing trades which in hospitality is kind of

00:41the lifeblood of what we try and do here. It's difficult for people to actually figure out how

00:47to get in and we've had customers contact us, potential customers saying that they couldn't

00:53actually navigate the fence, so that's the biggest challenge for us. It's really frustrating,

00:59it's a difficult time for the industry overall. Hospitality is really struggling at the moment

01:04because it overheads in other areas in the business. This is something that's being highlighted in

01:09Parliament at the moment, so this is like one more nail in the coffin for us to actually have it

01:14difficult for people to come in and spend money with us who want to spend money here. And I know how

01:21they feel because there's some mornings that I've actually been trying to come into work and I can't

01:24figure out how to get in here. Works to build a new cycle lane and pedestrian walkway got underway in

01:30November and while the council says it has worked with businesses to minimise disruption, Graham said

01:36ongoing works have had detrimental effects. In terms of the actual businesses down at the shore,

01:42biologists went out of business two months ago. Mimi's had to sell half their premises

01:49because of the challenges that are presented by this and other businesses have had to take loans out

01:55to reinvest just to stay afloat. One of the most damaging things is that the bus service to the

02:01shore was completely taken away for two whole months in January and February and I think that's when we

02:07all felt the biggest pinch possible because there was no way for people to get down to us by public

02:12transport and cars find it really difficult to get anywhere near us. They had assured me it's not as

02:18bad as it seems, it's really bad just now but the fence in and the work will be away from me and it will

02:24move down towards the bridge by the end of February and the fences are still here and we're almost in September.

02:34The council's transport and environment convener councillor Stephen Jenkinson said,

02:39I appreciate the concerns of this particular business and regret that these works have taken

02:44longer than initially anticipated. Adding the works at Sandport Place are due to be completed in the

02:49coming weeks. The transport convener added, the Leith Connections project team have been in touch with

02:55residents and businesses in the area since before construction commenced along with other key

03:00stakeholders. Our site teams are in regular discussion with local businesses and will continue to

03:06support them in every way possible. I was all in favour of it, I still am in favour of it, it's just the

03:13execution. I'm a local resident, I have a home here, run a business here, my son goes to school here,

03:21so anything that makes the area greener, more pedestrian friendly, fantastic, all for it. But the execution in

03:29terms of engagement with local businesses to find out what the best thing is for the area and how it's executed and

03:36implemented and how it stays on budget and on time, that's what I have an issue with, not the actual project itself.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended