A SMALL business owner in Edinburgh has claimed that the city’s council has repeatedly ignored his warnings about the effects of a new residential housing development on his business.
The City of Edinburgh Council has for years been planning to redevelop the site of the former Powderhall Waste Transfer Station in Broughton into affordable housing, an early years centre, and an old persons’ home.
However, Yossi Mazon, the owner of a coffee shop on Broughton Road – directly in front of the construction site – said that the council has not provided any support or information regarding the disruption, and has ignored his attempts to engage with them.
As part of the construction works, the council have today closed off the path which runs from Broughton Road alongside the construction site and through into St. Marks Park, and which provides Yossi much of his trade.
DelishYoss Coffee Bar could see footfall significantly decrease as construction progresses (C) Yossi Mazon
DelishYoss Coffee Bar, a former police box which has been owned and operated by Yossi as a cafe for over seven years, is the only business which will be directly affected by building work.
Despite this, Yossi, who was born in Israel and has lived in Edinburgh for over 20 years, says that the council’s attempts to communicate with him about the building work have been “laconic” and lacklustre.
Council officers have been to his business to discuss his issues with them, but, according to Yossi, did not provide any useful information or engagement.
The formal consultation period for the project ended in 2018.
Aside from the potential loss of trade to his business, Yossi also worries about the effects the construction may have on his utilities, which run from underneath the construction site into his shop.
The council, however, has provided assurances that any loss in footfall from the park will be made up for by the hundreds of construction workers who will be stationed behind his store and who, they say, will patronise Yossi’s store.
Yossi says there are no guarantees this will happen, however, and claimed that workers will have their own canteen providing coffee and refreshments onsite.
St. Mark’s Path will be closed for an initial eight weeks, but could be closed for even longer (C) Yossi Mazon
Speaking today, Yossi said that he had no issue with the project itself and sees it as socially very useful, but would like some certainty from the council about how it would affect him.
He explained: “At the moment, I know nothing from the council.
“I’ve been chasing them for the past five years – just to put mitigation in place – but I’ve received no answers from them.
“The first thing that they did was close the St. Mark’s Path.
“This path is responsible for 60-70% of my footfall – cyclists use it to go to work, the community uses it to go walking to the park.
“I only received confirmation that they would be closing this path three days ago.”
The path is set to be closed for eight weeks but the council and CCG, the construction firm contracted to complete the works, have reserved the right to apply for a further extension, pending statutory approval.
A diversion route has been put in place, but this will bypass Yossi’s coffee shop entirely.
Yossi would like to see the council put together an impact assessment and formal mitigation plans but says that time is running out for the council to provide the support which could see his business through the construction period, which is slated to last until spring 2027.
He said: “I’m in a tricky spot, because I actually approve of the project, I think the development is good.
“I’m a part of this community, I think we need the nursery spaces, we need the elderly home space.
“I also understand that, when it is finished, it will also benefit me, because there will be more footfall, but if I can’t work properly for the next two years, then I will not get to that point.
“I will have to close.”
Construction on the major project has been progressing in phases for years now (C) Yossi Mazon
He added: “The fact they don’t do anything, and they don’t even give me any form of acknowledgement makes me feel like they actually don’t care.
“It feels like they don’t mind if I close the business.”
The Powderhall regeneration project has being worked on in phases since 2018.
Once completed, the project will provide a new civic square off Broughton Road, improvements to the St. Mark’s path, upgrades to the Broughton Road-McDonald Road junction, and a new flexible workspace and artist’s studio.
The City of Edinburgh Council has been approached for comment.
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