A three week-long road closure in Maidstone causes business to suffer

KentOnline / KMTV

Loose Road in Maidstone has been closed for three weeks and in its closure, many businesses and residents say the effects have damaged trade and local areas.   Kirstin Hawthorne reports.

Transcript

00:00Three weeks ago Loose Road was closed for Roadworks.

00:06It's caused gridlock traffic and damage to diversion roads,

00:09but it's also causing a noticeable difference to local businesses.

00:13Our local wet trade hasn't been affected too much,

00:17but definitely our food trade.

00:20We've noticed it at the weekends,

00:22especially when we've got our tables booked in,

00:25people ringing up because they're trying to get round the traffic.

00:28We've had tables cancel their reservations on the day as well.

00:33I mean, food, especially from Monday to Friday,

00:38it's definitely gone down by half.

00:41You know, it's not just me that's probably going to suffer,

00:44but it's probably everybody else that's sort of this end of town as well.

00:48And if you're thinking of going to pet an animal to de-stress from the traffic,

00:51you might have trouble doing that as well.

00:53The majority of us start about 8, 8.30.

00:56There was a couple of us got in about 9,

00:59so the normal journey that would have taken 10 minutes took about an hour this morning.

01:02And we're hearing that visitors, it's the same for them as well.

01:06Obviously, it's more important for us to be here because if we're not here,

01:10we can't serve the public and we can't be here to tend the goats.

01:13But yes, it's been chaotic.

01:16I mean, there's queues both ways in the roads and actually from one of the main road junctions,

01:21right past our turning to the sanctuary.

01:25Yeah, it's chaotic. It is chaotic.

01:28While some Maidstone residents and businesses worry that the closure will last until Christmas,

01:33SGN have confirmed that everything is on track to close in two weeks.

01:37In a statement, they said that we're on track to complete this work,

01:41enabling the safe reopening of the road by Monday 24th November.

01:45Sign diversions are in place for affected motorists, while the A229 loose road is closed.

01:51There are no plans to alter the agreed routes.

01:54With some drivers using unsuitable side roads and causing congestion,

01:58new signs, marshals and navigation updates are in place to keep traffic on official diversions.

02:04A spokesperson for the Kent County Council added that they understand and sympathise with the concerns raised by residents

02:11regarding the impact of the recent road closures.

02:14SGN have advised us that these works are emergency and essential to maintain gas supply to residents and businesses,

02:21particularly as winter approaches and gas demand increases.

02:25We've actually got a Christmas fair on the 13th December.

02:28So we really want our visitors to be able to get through because they're all booking online.

02:32So obviously, once they pay, they pay and book at the same time.

02:36So we do really want them to be able to get to us.

02:40Because obviously it'd be quite stressful for us to have to refund everyone if they can't get here.

02:44So yeah, that's a good thing.

02:46So hopefully they stick to their word and that will happen.

02:49So in the lead up to Christmas, a time when trade matters the most,

02:52locals hope they will feel the cheer instead of the traffic.

02:55Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV, Maidstone.

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