THE ongoing construction work to reopen Calne High Street to traffic, has left one business owner distraught as sales slump to an all-time low.
Kevin Thorne who owns the charity shop New Beginnings at the top of the High Street, says that thanks to the works currently in place outside his shop, he has seen a massive drop in footfall, so much so - they didn't cover the rent last week.
And a drop in takings isn't the only problem the works are causing Kevin, he told us: "When the disabled spaces were by the shop, I could just about manage to get from my car to the shop, but having to walk to the other disability spaces is too far I can't physically do it.
Kevin maintains that a lot of these problems could have been worked around if Wiltshire Council had made any contact with business owners prior to fencing off the area.
Kevin told us: "New Beginnings helps Victims of Domestic Violence and also the local community with a food table for families in need." He added: "Liz, my wife, drops off surplus food for the community table but she will no longer have anywhere to do this. This is why it would have been good for Wiltshire Council to have made contact with us.
"I know we're just little fish in a very large pond and we're not part of the bigger picture but some consultation would have been good then maybe we could have worked something out."
Calne Town Councillor, Robert MacNaughton has been in contact with Mr Thorne and is endeavouring to try and help him reach a solution to some of the problems the work has caused.
In the meantime, the shop remains open for business as usual. To rally support, Kevin is calling on local residents to visit New Beginnings, where they can find a variety of new items and reasonably priced donated goods. He also calls for clothing donations for all genders and ages, as well as bric-a-brac and ornaments. “If you have items to donate that you’re not sure we take, please give us a call,” he urged.
"Without your support the shop will close and families will go without clothes, furniture, household items and food.
"When a victim or survivor gets the courage to leave the abuse they often leave with just minutes' notice. No time to get clothes or toys. It maybe the perpetrator is back at the house and if he noticed, the victim could end up beaten or even dead.
Cllr Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways, told us: “Work has commenced to reopen Calne High Street to traffic, one way from north to south, to improve air quality and relieve some of the traffic issues in the town.
“Temporary site protection barriers are being installed and these will alter as sections of the scheme are completed. An alternative site has been identified at Wood Street for the displaced disabled bays.
“This trial will last for up to 18 months. During that time, we’ll analyse the data, the impact on the local highway network and the feedback from the local community before deciding on the scheme’s future.
“The work will take around four weeks and once the experimental temporary traffic order becomes live, I encourage residents to share their views to help us confirm next steps. This may mean refining or adapting the scheme.
“While any disruption will be kept to a minimum, we would encourage any businesses with a specific need to contact us and we will accommodate these wherever possible.”
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