Christchurch businesses club together over roadworks issues

Wessex Water repair works along the busy Bargates road started on Tuesday, January 25, and are expected to last until Friday, April 22.

Castles Home Hardware’s company secretary Nicola Watson set up the the Bargates Business Owners Road Closure Action Team after reading dozens of messages of support on social media ahead of the roadworks.

Their first meeting on Wednesday January 19, which was attended by 15 representatives form businesses on Bargates as well as the newly elected Christchurch BID manager Christina Pengrelly.

Nicola said: "What we are trying to do now is to keep this support going. Obviously, the group was set up for the current problem and the next three months, but Bargates itself needs to join together.”

Read more: Bargates roadworks - everything you need to know

Businesses along Bargates, who remain open despite the current roadworks, are appealing to the community to continuing support them during these difficult times.

Nicola added: “People living outside of Christchurch may thinking we are over-exaggerating, but this is really serious stuff. This is our livelihoods we are talking about.

“I can understand it is difficult for everyone following the pandemic but a few of the businesses, us included, have said we don’t know if we can survive this.

“It is lovely that people want to us on social media, and we are extremely thankful of that, but we need the actual physical support. We need people to come into shops and spend to help keep us going.”

Read more: 'We will be finished': Business fears over three-month closure of main road

BCP Council have urged people to continue support businesses along Bargates during the closure and are working with Christchurch BID to provide compensation requests for the businesses involved.

A spokesperson said: “We appreciate the frustration that these urgent utility works may cause, particularly to businesses, residents and those who regularly commute through Christchurch. However, the one way closure on Bargates is urgently needed and Wessex Water has to undertake them in order to carry out full repairs on a collapsed sewer.

“We would urge residents and those travelling from further afield to allow extra time for their journeys while these works are taking place, to avoid peak travel times and to consider walking or cycling when possible. We would also ask people to continue to support our local businesses and make use of the wider nearby parking offer.

"Separately, BCP Council is working with the newly formed Christchurch Business Improvement District in coordinating compensation requests for affected businesses to Wessex Water. Letters have been sent to all local business who may be affected.”