7:20am Thursday 29th July 2010
By Ian Mason
Traders are facing months of uncertainty as gas works continue to drive shoppers away from Putney.
Business owners along Upper Richmond Road revealed they had already noticed a drop in trade due to Southern Gas’ £1m gas main replacement project, which has forced the road’s closure between Dryburgh Road and the junction with Ravenna Road until the end of October.
Wandsworth Council has shown its support to traders by publicly calling on shoppers to continue visiting the businesses lining the road.
Lucie Leibig, who runs the Octavia Foundation Community charity shop said, with passersby unable to park, donations are down 70 per cent and daily takings have been down by as much as £100.
She said: “I just really hope it’s not going to be four months. You would think with a situation like this they would work all night.
“If this went on for a long time and my donations stay down it’s definitely going to affect me.”
Ms Leibig added Transport for London (TfL), which oversees the busy A-road, had offered no parking dispensation during the works.
Universal Video manager, Sam Shoubber, said: “I’ve got many people who want to rent a DVD or return one in a hurry - all of those people have gone.
“People don’t want to park half an hour away.”
HJ Cooper Interior Furnishing employee, Peter Gibbons, said the work caused “major disruption” to their large deliveries.
Wandsworth's business spokesman Councillor Ravi Govindia said: “It is the support of the people of Putney that is most important to these traders' survival. If we all make a special effort to use Upper Richmond Road businesses over the coming months it could make all the difference.”
A Southern Gas spokesman said engineers were working seven days a week and aimed to cause as little disruption as possible.
TfL declined to comment.
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