{"id":406703,"date":"2025-09-08T02:15:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T02:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/406703\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T02:15:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T02:15:17","slug":"roadworks-murdering-businesses-in-ancoats-as-barber-forced-to-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/406703\/","title":{"rendered":"Roadworks \u2018murdering businesses\u2019 in Ancoats, as barber forced to close"},"content":{"rendered":"

– Advertisement –\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Over-running roadworks means the owner of a barbershop says he has been forced to call time on his business after 43 years serving Ancoats \u2013 following \u2018\u00a37,000\u2019 of losses.<\/p>\n

A Manchester council project is installing cycle lanes and upgrading pedestrian crossings on Oldham Road, near the famous Wing Yip superstore.<\/p>\n

It began in February, and was initially projected to finish in late April \u2013 but its completion date has repeatedly been moved back to July, then September, and now autumn 2025. To make up time, crews are working overnight from 8:30pm to 5:30am this month.<\/p>\n

And neighbours, having previously complained of contractors\u2019 behaviour, are fed up \u2014 with one barber claiming his \u2018business is being murdered\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest issue is if we had been given a plan saying it would be four or five months, we could have planned for it,\u201d said Ernest Armakpado, owner of Headmaster barbers. \u201cBut the deadline is missed, so you cannot plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another barber, Jimmy Kennedy, said he is closing for good on 27 September, 43 years after opening Kutters on February 8, 1982. He\u2019s bringing his planned retirement forward by six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting older. I was going to go until next year, but I cannot fight this. I will lose the battle,\u201d sighed the 67-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked if there\u2019s any compensation because I\u2019ve lost \u00a37,000 in five months compared to last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing nothing here \u2013 there\u2019s no passing trade. Clients are moaning that there\u2019s no public transport because there\u2019s no bus stop open here \u2013 they have to get off at Butler Street or Oldham Street.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a friend, I\u2019ve been cutting his hair for 30 years, and he said to me last week he\u2019s not coming in anymore because he came twice and could not get parked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot put a business in the middle of a building site for 33 weeks and not know the end of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having opened at 5:45am most days to catch post office staff finishing a night shift, Jimmy added he was not against \u2018progress\u2019, but thought it was \u2018wrong for the area, what they have done\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to go out anyway, but to make the area like this, every day is like Sunday,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had no help. They have told me there\u2019s no conversation scheme at all. It\u2019s got very, very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just barbers who have lost \u2018thousands\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

P3 Annihilation Eve, a bar opposite Kutters, formerly called Peste, saw its outdoor seating area removed to make way for a \u2018rain garden\u2019 for sustainable drainage.<\/p>\n

Owner Helen Collett explained: \u201cWe have had an outside seating area for the last two years, and we extended the space last year. We invested in furniture and spent time on the application. The council was really helpful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt got to this year, and since February, we have been told we would not be able to have a seating area because of the rain garden, but they would help find us alternative seating arrangements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have lost the summer of the outside seating. We were instantly losing money because we could not have people outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a real struggle. We have lost thousands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helen has managed to use the roadworks to her advantage somewhat, staging a photoshoot to promote new cocktails.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got our staff drinking the staff cocktails in the space. It was half creative, but we were also trapped essentially,\u201d she went on. \u201cIt helped when customers were annoyed about the outside space, it gave us a lighter touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Customers have also been frustrated at the noise from the overnight work, which Helen called \u2018absolutely horrific\u2019, as it takes place while P3 is open in the evenings.<\/p>\n

The noise has also drawn ire from Dominic Pritchard, who has lived on Oldham Road nearby for five years. He blames the roadworks for the end of his relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy boyfriend moved out because he is a nurse working nights, so every day he came home in the day and was not able to sleep,\u201d he said. \u201cThat caused the end of our relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominic usually works in an office five days a week, so he was unaware of how severe the noise issues were until nighttime construction began. He knows now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two weeks are crazy,\u201d he added. \u201cThere must be a kick-off time when they shut the road. The noise, it\u2019s insane. It\u2019s totally mental.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the criticism, Manchester council said:\u00a0\u201cWe, of course, have sympathy for anyone who has been disrupted by the ongoing works on Oldham Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an extensive scheme intended to benefit both residents and businesses by improving walking and cycling provision in the north of the city, as well as making it easier to access local civic centres, public transport and links to other parts of Manchester.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe contractor has engaged extensively with residents and businesses and done everything in their power to keep people informed on their progress. However, with any major infrastructure project, there can be unavoidable delays.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnforeseen issues beneath the surface of the road have impacted the completion of this project; however, work is being carried out as quickly as possible to get this project over the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

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