Forum Topic

Surely I don't need to explain to you why it would be a bad idea to name local businesses that are on the brink of closure?I know the owners and managers of some local shops and the picture they collectively paint is universally grim. There are several businesses that it is widely believed won't survive long after the new year.Obviously the prospect of Sunday parking will have nothing to do with their closure. The main thing that concerns businesses at the moment is the rise in employer's NICs combined with the increase in the minimum wage. Margins are so tight that these extra costs will probably have to be passed onto customers but in these difficult economic times there are concerns that this might lead to a fall in sales.Sunday parking charges have been looming for some time and their impact won't be straight forward. Some businesses owners don't think that there will be much impact but some believe that, as Sunday is their most profitable day of trading, their bottom line will suffer significantly. One shop owner believes Sunday parking charges will see the end of the markets, which she regrets but this will partly be offset by the reopening on Sunday of the central car park.I've only spoken to a handful of people, so who knows whether these views are representative, but I think you'll struggle to find a shop owner who is confident about what the future holds. A lot of this is down to non-Chiswick factors but the failure of rents to readjust in the current climate is a local issue. If this is compounded by other decisions that reduce trade then it will almost inevitably be terminal for some.

Francis Rowe ● 20d

The phrase carbrained in this context might better be used for you. You seem incapable of imagining that any measure that restricts or decreases the use of cars could have any negative consequences. You may have been given assurances in these secret meetings or have found information to give you comfort in obscure documents that you are disinclined to share but this doesn't change the fact that increased parking restrictions, even if confined to Mid Chiswick, will make life more difficult for the markets both operationally and in terms of reduced footfall.You seem to be alluding to some sort of deal with the market organisers which I presume relates to the progression of the improvement plans around the car park which would be great news. However, even were this to proceed, it would in no way guarantee the perpetual renewal of the markets' licences. The council may be making promises to mollify people over the introduction of Sunday parking restrictions but it would be unwise to trust everything they are saying.As for my C9 predictions, I recall saying that the bi-directional nature of the design inherently increased risk and there were likely to be an increased risk of serious injuries to cyclists. In the first full year of operation there were three times the number of serious collisions involving cyclists than there had been in the previous five years. Sadly for everyone concerned, this prediction was not wrong and the problem is still in the process of resolution with the latest proposal for Rivercourt Road being brought forward to deal with it.

Francis Rowe ● 33d