Struggling businesses in Perth’s High Street have won a partial victory with the announcement that the council has re-opened part of the road for six months – albeit only to taxis.
The High Street, close to South Methven Street, had been shut due to the £2 million re-development of St Paul’s Church but the local authority has bowed to local businesses and re-opened the road on Tuesday.
It will remain open until June.
The council had initially said the old High Street would be closed until September, angering several businesses located there. Mohammed Ali, 52, who owns Tekno World, claimed his takings had fallen by up to 60% since the closure and warned matters were so bad he might have to shut up shop for good.
Mr Ali said he was pleased about the re-opening but he would rather it applied to buses and private cars too.
“Shops here received an email from the council stating the road would re-open but only to taxis, not cars or buses, so I feel this is a halfway measure,” he said.
“If they were going to reinstate the road the way it was they should have allowed buses down here. We got a lot of custom from people getting off the bus so I feel this move defeats the purpose.”
David Gill, owner of Perth City Kilts, said he was also disappointed to find that buses would still be diverted from the old High Street.
“It’s good that the road has re-opened but I would have thought the council could let the buses back here as a gesture,” he said.
“A lot of bus passengers got off in this area and came in to the shops or went to some of the restaurants and cafes.”
Perth City Centre councillor Peter Barrett, a Liberal Democrat, described the move as “good news” for locals.
“The next stage is about the design and use of the square so I would urge local residents and businesses to ensure they make their views are known,” he said.
A council spokeswoman said: “The road closure, which has been in place since March, is not currently required for this stage of the works at St Paul’s Church. Following feedback from local businesses, the council has decided to re-open the road for the meantime to allow temporary restricted access to the area, although bus diversions will remain in place.
“Scaffolding will remain in place to protect the building and allow access to it.”
She added: “In terms of bus routes, there is a legal process which needs to be gone through to change a bus route, and given that the road is only being re-opened temporarily, and the process would have to be gone through again in a few months’ time to change the route back to what it is currently, the services are not currently being re-routed.”
The local authority says it is progressing with the £2 million plan to transform the dilapidated St Paul’s Church into an open space. This has included the removal of 50 tonnes of pigeon droppings, a cull of nesting birds and the removal of asbestos, loose slates, masonry, vegetation and other debris.
