Plants Galore owner slams road closure and diversion. He fears £300,000 loss and staff cuts due to the A382 closure.
People worry about traffic problems, as other road work is happening in Newton Abbot. Diversion routes will be long, potentially impacting other roads heavily. Drivers may face serious delays, and businesses might lose money during this time.
Tony Joyner owns Plants Galore, near the closure on Staplehill Road. He thinks he will lose £300,000 and might have to dump lots of plants. He will cut staff hours due to lost trade.
Devon County Council (DCC) explains the work is complex, so night work lacks feasibility. Diversions keep big trucks off small roads. Signs stating businesses are open will appear.
Tony Joyner thinks the closure is bad, saying 15,000 cars use the road each day. This will cause big traffic jams as diversions are one is 12 miles and the other stretches 20 miles. People will ignore these long detours combined with other local closures.
Tony asks if the council understands the problem and wonders why the work can’t happen at night. Businesses deal with closures and financial problems as the business feels economic pressure.
Plants Galore expects less revenue and might cut staff to save money. Tony says utility firms offer no aid and believes road work hurts local business, mentioning future longer closures are possible.
SWW sent a letter to locals explaining that the firm needs to check the main. To work safely, they must stop traffic, and a detour was agreed with the council. People knowing alternative roads can use them.
The detour mainly helps large trucks. SWW hopes to finish before March 7 and wants to reduce any problems they may face. They thank people for their patience and aim to keep disruption low.
SWW says they planned with DCC, and they must move two water mains. They will check Whitehill Road this period. They agreed on a closure and detour, and told businesses about claiming losses.
DCC says road work ensures the Jetty Marsh road is completed. SWW must move the water mains, and closures enable checks for the diversion designs. It’s a major water connection, but night work is not possible, and the official detour is unavoidable. This directs HGVs to suitable routes.
DCC will place signs stating that shops remain open. Plants Galore can display extra signs too.