Pressure on Gateshead businesses two months after flyover closure
Businesses have been telling us they have been affected
A shop owner in Gateshead says the closure of the flyover has added to the pressures that they're facing.
Businesses on the high street have been telling us they have been affected.
It is exactly two months since the flyover closed.
The road was bringing thousands of visitors every day to shops in the town but it will never re-open again with no timescale for demolition.
Gateshead Council say work continues on the 1960's structure including props to keep concrete pillars up so Metro's can run underground.
Helen Redfern runs the Green Heart Collective, which sells pre-loved clothing, and she said: "It's hard to say exactly how much is due to the flyover. We had similiar problems last year with the Metro strikes and the bus strikes. It's not been an easy year for any businesses on Gateshead high street. People are also being very careful with their money and there's quite a bit of political instability as well.
"The flyover has made a difference. We are seeing less footfall in Gateshead. People are avoiding coming to the town centre so it's hard to put a number on it but I would say we've definitely seen a fall off of people coming to visit us and it has had a big impact.
"We came to the high street a year and a half ago with a big vision to be part of regenerating this area. We had a commitment to Gateshead and we wanted to see the high street become a vibrant place with lots of independent retailers. It's flyover closure not something that anybody could have foreseen.
"It's hard. You can't place blame and I know the council are doing everything they can to mitigate the cost to everybody in the town centre. I guess it makes me feel helpless but we can do nothing about the flyover situation. There's nothing else we can do to improve transport or anything like that.
"The shop opposite us is always busy regardless of the flyover so to me, if people want to come into Gateshead they will come. They will find a way and I think it's up to us working with the council and the other shops to try and find a way to make this a place that people really want to come to.
"If people live in Gateshead and they want to see Gateshead town centre improve and maybe back to its former glory, then they actually have to commit to coming here and spending money in the shops here. The small, independent retailers really needs every single customer."
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