The owners of a shop in the centre of York fear they may have to temporarily close if they continue to suffer low levels of trade due to ongoing work outside their business.
And they hit out at City of York Council for what they branded a “lack of transparency” about what the work would entail.
A fence has been put up around the work with the side of the pavement outside Boyes partially blocked.
A few doors down from Boyes is the Knutti Store, which opened just weeks ago on July 28.
The shop’s owners Anthony Lewis and husband Jonathan Burgoyne said the store enjoyed busy weeks of trade when it opened, with both locals and tourists eager to explore the new addition to the street.
But on Monday the road closed, work started, and a fence appeared.
Since then, the fence has been extended down the street past the front of the Knutti Shop, which the business’s owners say means it looks hidden from passers-by.
They say that this, coupled with a drop in footfall on the street due to the work, has had a major financial hit on the tourist gift shop.
‘We might as well close’
On Thursday (August 17) just two customers passed through its doors and yesterday lunch time, when The Press called by, no one had been in.
“We’re a new business,” said Mr Lewis. “We don’t stand a chance.”
"We might as well close. What’s the point?"
Mr Lewis said the fencing meant people could not see the business, which added to the problem.
“We’re invisible,” he said. “No one knows we’re here.”
The Press previously spoke with Joel Taylor, a co-owner of Fancy Hank’s, who hit out at City of York Council for not sharing what he felt was enough information about the closure.
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His neighbours at the Knutti Store shared the same opinion and said they received just one letter from the contractor carrying out the work.
They echoed Mr Taylor’s concerns about not being aware of the extent of the work.
Council apologise for 'inconvenience to businesses'
City of York Council's corporate director of place, Neil Ferris, apologised for the “inconvenience” the work is having on traders in the street.
"The work has been planned to maintain access to all premises and keep pedestrian routes open as far as possible, but we understand that these have still caused some inconvenience to businesses nearby for which we apologise,” he said.
“We continue to welcome feedback from businesses as we continue to try and improve the city centre, and we will continue to try to support them as much as we can.”
Mr Ferris said all affected businesses and residents were contacted directly about the work last year and again last month ahead of work starting.
“This included issuing a press release, hand-delivering letters, visiting businesses to speak to owners and managers, and speaking to residents,” he said.
He added that the council has put up signs and ‘businesses open as usual’ notices on the affected roads in a bid to help traders.
‘This is our reality’
Like Mr Taylor, the Knutti Store’s owners also criticised the council for carrying out the work during the summer and suggested that it should have taken place at a quieter time.
The shop had been looking forward to the bank holiday weekend next week in particular, with the Ebor Festival set to bring thousands of people to the city.
“But now we’re going to be stuck behind this fence,” said Mr Burgoyne.
“We’re grateful to the council for keeping the city safe, but there’s a better time to do work.”
“It’s high season, it’s summer and from now until the end of September this is our reality,” added Mr Lewis.
“We’re not a chain that can stomach the losses.”
Mr Ferris said: “We understand that these works can be inconvenient, but to try and schedule them around holidays, events or busier periods for the city would result in a significant increase in the cost and length of time of the overall project.”
New signs ‘better than nothing’
The Knutti Store’s owners called on City of York Council to be “more transparent” about the ongoing work so traders can plan around it.
They also suggested that the council allows businesses in Goodramgate to put up banners on the fence surrounding the work advertising that they are open as usual.
Mr Lewis acknowledged the ‘businesses open as usual signs’ installed by the council but said: “It means nothing to people.
“If we were able to put a sign up with ‘we’re open’, it’s better than nothing.”
Mr Ferris did not address the point about installing new signs but told The Press: “Access to all businesses and homes is being maintained while the work is carried out.
“Pedestrians have through access and diversions are in place for vehicles with staff on hand to support them.
“The works on Goodramgate are scheduled to end by late September.”
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The announcement that bollards would be installed across the city centre to combat the threat of ‘vehicle as weapon attacks’ was first made earlier this year by the Liberal Democrat-Green coalition running City of York Council.
In May the Liberal Democrat-Green coalition was voted out of office and replaced by a Labour administration.
The new Labour council previously said it intends to reverse the ban on blue badge holders parking in the centre of York - brought in by the previous administration in 2021 - but confirmed that the work to install the bollards would push ahead.
A City of York Council spokesperson previously told The Press that all the work is to be finished ahead of the Christmas market to minimise disruption during the festive period.
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