Roseburn businesses "devastated" as compensation refused
Businesses in Roseburn have been told they won't receive any compensation for long running roadworks around their shops
Small business owners in Edinburgh who have blamed a sharp decline in takings on the construction of a bike path have been left “devastated” after the council voted against setting up a compensation scheme.
Traders around Roseburn Terrace have faced months of disruption from work on the new cycling route, which saw parking and access restricted for many shops for longer than was initially anticipated after the project was hit with delays.
Businesses along the street have linked the roadworks directly with a significant drop in income and footfall and have argued the council should cough up as a result.
However, it was agreed there will be no support for those affected – some of which say they are on the brink of collapse – at a meeting held on Thursday (December 15).
George Rendall, who runs an art gallery on Roseburn Terrace, said the traders are “devastated” following the result.
The Labour administration’s transport chief, Scott Arthur, admitted there were “lessons to be learned” from this phase of the City Centre to West East Link (CCWEL).
However, Cllr Arthur added businesses on the North Bridge have had a “harder time” during the ongoing repairs there and said he was “reluctant to support anything which does not put North Bridge traders on an equal footing”.
He continued: “I’m also reluctant to accept anything which allocates hundreds of thousands of pounds – perhaps millions of pounds when we see our active travel plan next year – in terms of compensation.
“I just don’t see how we can allocate funding to this at this time.”
Mr Rendall hit back at the comparison, however, calling it “ludicrous”.
“Those shops must get at least 20,000 people walking past every day,” he added.
Money for Roseburn businesses was backed by Lib Dem, Conservative and SNP members, which adds up to a majority of councillors in the chamber – but the three groups could not reach consensus on whether to compensate those impacted by future works.
Abstentions from SNP councillors in a second round of voting meant the move by Labour and the Greens against a support package was passed.
Euan Davidson, who is the ward councillor for the area covering Roseburn and has been pushing for the council to help out, said: “Despite repeated appeals from our hard pressed local businesses today the SNP displayed the very worst of politics. Rather than vote for their principles they chose to sit on their hands.”
Meanwhile, the Conservatives’ Jo Mowat said council payouts could be avoided if infrastructure projects were better planned and managed.
She said: “One of the ways the ways that this council would never have to pay compensation of a penny piece to a single independent trader would be if we planned our works properly and delivered them in accordance to those plans because that is the fundamental problem here that we have not managed to do that – and in doing so we have ruined the livelihoods of many of these small traders.”