Businesses struggling to survive on Adelaide’s popular coastal strip

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A growing number of businesses along Adelaide's popular coastal strip Jetty Road are struggling to survive. Many say street and tram line upgrades alongside a cost-of-living crisis and the ongoing algal bloom have created an imperfect storm, and a rethink of the upgrades is needed to stop more doors closing.

Transcript

00:00Glenelg's Jetty Road may be open for business but construction enclosures dominate the area

00:07as the popular strip undergoes a $40 million facelift and a major tramline upgrade.

00:13We live really close to Jetty Road so getting in and out is a nightmare.

00:17I just hope everyone and all of my fellow traders can hold on and survive.

00:23But Paul Turner's restaurant hasn't survived.

00:26He says noise and dust killed his lunch trade and foot traffic dropped 90% after works began three months ago.

00:33It's not just affecting us, it's affecting all of the traders.

00:37Our customers can't get to us, our suppliers can't get to us.

00:41He's packing up permanently, knowing the works are set to continue late into the year.

00:46We're not seeing any hope of recovery.

00:50Our entire summer season is now destroyed.

00:56It's a familiar feeling for others along the usually popular precinct.

01:00We're slowly falling more and more behind every week to a point where we don't know if we're ever going to actually be able to catch up on that.

01:08And it's taking an emotional toll.

01:10And so I've got such a connection to this place that, no, I'm getting emotional.

01:18That's alright.

01:19Traders say information on the upgrade has been scarce and support hard to come by.

01:25Put a stop to the council rates for now, the water rates, ask for maybe some sort of rent support.

01:33Anything, anything would be helpful at the moment.

01:37The City of Holdfast Bay says it's working closely with impacted businesses to provide support while the works continue.

01:44It acknowledged some are doing it tough, but says overall economic activity in the Glenelg area remains strong.

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