An Edinburgh business owner has said he could be forced to move over planned road changes in Dalry which will see a number of streets closed for over five months.
The council has put out notice that it will close Orwell Terrace, Orwell Place, Caledonian Place and Caledonian Road for works, which are likely to start from September or October.
The changes are part of a project to make Dalry Road more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists.
The works have been hailed by a local councillor and the city’s transport boss as bringing “significant improvements” to the area.
But Alan Wallace, 66, owner of Wallace’s Appliance Repairs, Parts and Sales, has had worries that the overarching project may force him out of Dalry.
He said: “It’s already terrible getting parked. Our problem is most of our customers come here in cars, and they can’t get parked anyway.
“Because of the double reds, they can’t get parked, because the loading bays are all full up. It won’t be good for our business. Our customers basically all come in cars.”
He said that when the project was first consulted on a year ago, he began looking for an industrial unit to move his shop out of a fear that less customers would drive to his shop.
But, believing that the project was not going ahead as advertised, he scuppered those plans.
He was shocked to hear that the closures, and that part of the project, were going ahead, and said that he had not had any notification from the council about the works.
An Edinburgh Council spokesperson said that local residents and businesses would be contacted in the coming weeks about the works, and stressed that the council will engage extensively with businesses in the area to limit the impact of the works.
They said that it was normal practice to apply for road closures prior to notifying residents about works due to applications needing to be submitted three months before works start.
Additionally, they stressed that the works were only planned, and that they could be amended or cancelled before they get underway.
The works will incorporate elements of the Dalry Living Locally project, which is set to see a variety of changes made to the length of Dalry Road, as well as the northern end of Gorgie Road to reduce traffic and make the area more walkable and cycle friendly.
Some more controversial elements of the project, such as a bus and taxi gate at Haymarket Junction, are being reconsidered after a public consultation held last summer.
According to the plans, the four roads which are to be closed for works would operate as a one-way system.
Caledonian Road and Caledonian Terrace would operate as a one-way street running away from Dalry Road, with the three other roads returning traffic to it.
Ross McKenzie, the independent councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie, said: “This is great news. We already knew that road resurfacing was scheduled for these streets during autumn.
“But it now looks very likely that significant improvements to the pavements will be made alongside this work, including continuous footways at junctions and improved access to Telfer Subway.
“In other parts of the city, such as Tollcross, we have recently seen road resurfacing take place without any improvements for pedestrians.
“While there will obviously be some disruption during the works, there will be no long-term change to current parking arrangements on these streets.”
Labour councillor and Transport and Environment Committee convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “We’re continuing our wider work in the Dalry area with scheduled road resurfacing works at Orwell Terrace, Orwell Place, Caledonian Place and Caledonian Road.
“We have planned ahead and ensured that any potential works have been registered on the Scottish Roadworks Register. Any proposed works are only planned at the moment, and we will be contacting residents and businesses in the coming weeks with further details.
“If plans are progressed then we currently expect the works, which will include continuous footways and raised tables to improve walking and wheeling in this busy town centre, to begin in late September or early October.”
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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