Portishead High Street to close

 

PORTISHEAD'S High Street will be closed to all traffic this autumn to allow road resurfacing work to be carried out.

Sections of the busy route could be shut off for a number of days during the October school holidays while roadworks are completed.

Plans to re-surface the High Street have been in the pipeline for a couple of years, but have been held up because work first needs to be carried out to some of the drains.

Highways bosses say they will try and keep any road closure to a minimum, but admitted it would be necessary to shut the busy route completely.

The work is expected to cost in the region of £200,000 and diversions will be put in place during the road closure.

Which section of the road is going to be re-surfaced has not yet been decided as it depends on how much of the budget is spent on improving the drain network.

North Somerset Council spokesman Nick Yates said the road closure was necessary to carry out the repairs.

Mr Yates: "As part of our continued investment in the highways in the district, work on both our highway drains and some Wessex Water surface water drains in Portishead High Street is needed to allow the drains to work to their maximum efficiency.

"We are still working on the details of the scheme which includes resurfacing work and some repairs to footpaths.

"As much work as possible will be done using traffic lights but we will need a road closure for the carriageway surfacing.

"We want to emphasise that any road closure will be kept to a minimum. 

"As always the diversion route will be signed and in this case is not extensive and will not include Slade Road."

The news that the High Street will have to close has been greeted with horror by local traders who say it will have a 'disastrous impact' on business.

High Street trader, Roger Whitfield, who runs Nortech Computers, said: "If there are any plans to close the High Street then the council should be consulting the local traders and those people who live in the area first.

"If the High Street is to close completely, even if it's just for a couple of days, it could be disastrous for local businesses.

"We are just starting to come out of one of the worst recessions ever in which many businesses struggled to keep going.

"Any road closure would adversely affect the amount of people visiting the High Street and the income which local businesses generate.

"The road may well have to be closed, but businesses still have to pay their staff, bills and rates.

"I hope the council do everything possible to avoid any closure of the High Street."

Other traders have also voiced concerns.

Landlady of The Poacher, Sue Hazelton, who runs the pub with husband Mark, said: "I would be concerned if the High Street was to close for any length of time as it could have in impact on our trade.

"Many of our customers come here by car and some come in on the way home from work.

"Some of our more elderly customers come in for lunch and often drive down."

Portishead High Street was left under several inches of water in June 2007 after driving rain and storms caused flash floods.

A number of businesses along the High Street were flooded out, with some losing thousands of pounds of stock.

Local councillors at the time called to improvements to the drain network to ensure the same did not happen again if inclement weather hit the town.