A group of shop owners in a suburban street of Loganlea are at breaking point.
They say financial strain could have been avoided if plans to close Webb Rd, opposite Logan Hospital, had been given more thought by Logan City Council engineers.
It is the only road in the city which is completely closed for upgrades and is the main access point to the shopping village.
Since the road was closed in December, business has declined sharply, jobs have been lost, and at least one business is considering shutting up shop.
Council claims that the road is on schedule, but owners of Qld Biltong – one shop at the local complex which locals know best as the IGA village – Charmaine and David Evans claim workers on the project have told them it’s “at least 5-6 weeks behind”.
Mr Evans questioned why council would start a roadworks project in December, the busiest month of the year for retailers and the time of year most vulnerable to wet weather and forced delays.
He questioned why one lane was yet to be opened, something he claims council promised would happen by January.
And he questioned why shop owners were not consulted before decisions were made to close the road.
“Council says they went to see individual shop owners, but none of us in this strip saw anyone (before a decision was made to close the road),” Mr Evans said.
A number of shops in the small village have laid off staff since Webb Road was closed.
Hairdresser Lillian Brown of Hair Dress Me, said business during the first three weeks of closure dropped 30%. It had since dropped 80%.
“I rely so heavily on walk-ins,” she said.
Signs have been erected on Loganlea Rd and Haig Rd by council, each of them directing traffic to “businesses”. Signs don’t say which businesses. Nor do they say which type of businesses.
A council spokesperson said additional resources had been allocated to the project in order to fast-track its completion.
They would work Saturdays in an effort to meet an April completion timeline.
In response to questions, council issued a statement which read: “Council has been in contact with businesses and has put additional signage in place for detours. We have also installed custom signs to advise motorists how to access the local shops from both directions.
“Prior to the works commencing, a Preliminary Advice notification was distributed to the local community advising of the proposed traffic arrangements. This was followed with a Works Notice.”
Owners of the bakery and takeaway shop said they’d seen a decline in business due to the road closure.
Shop keepers said it had been an additional cruel blow during the Covid pandemic.
“I feel for the IGA,” Mr Evans said. “People who aren’t prepared to take the detour are going elsewhere. And they’re creatures of habit, so it will take the IGA a long time to get those customers back.
“We’ve dealt with Gold Coast council before and they were so much better with their communication. They cared about local business. These people (Logan City Council) are terrible.
“They (council) never notified the owner of the building. He flew up from Sydney for, let’s just say, a rather tense meeting. The bakery closed for three weeks. This is costing jobs. And we’re just about done with our business.”
Mr Evans said anybody trying to find their business via GPS were taken to Webb Road. Only a small percentage bothered following signage from there.
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