'It's a punch in the face'
The ups and downs of the hospitality industry are something cafe owner Johnathon Barnett is all too aware of - having seen businesses around him shutter for good over the last couple of years.
Commissioned by Manchester City Council, work began in February 2023 to fit the leafy suburb - known for its bustling food and drink scene - into the city’s Bee Network. The vision for the city's transport spans more than 1,800 routes encouraging safe cycling and walking, as well as 400 miles of Dutch-style segregated bike lanes.
“Andy Burnham appeared at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards and talked about the need for the government to cut VAT and how the Tories are letting us down, but then Manchester City Council is destroying us here, we’re surviving but they’re literally stopping people coming into our shop. But while the precinct development looms in the background, the main focus of residents and traders for the last 12 months has been the cycle lane, part of a stretch which links south Manchester with the city centre.
Before Christmas she told the Manchester Evening News that the ongoing roadworks meant fewer people from across Greater Manchester were visiting, explaining that the roadworks made it difficult for them to visit. At what should have been her busiest time of the year, she instead reported a 20 per cent drop in footfall and was forced to reduce staff hours.
“As well as the removal of parking in front of Barbakan due to the new cycle lanes, we now do not have space for large wagons to pull up and make pallet deliveries of flour and meat in front of our premises and I know this has been an issue for many businesses in the area,” added Frankie. “How are we supposed to get our supplies?"
'It's a punch in the face' The issue of parking has also become more acute for Justine McGrath, the owner of Blossom Flowers, who needs space outside her shop to collect deliveries and load flowers for events. “They’ve cut out a couple of parking spaces so customers can’t pick up flowers. “It’s a punch in the face really, or nail in the coffin if you like, you can’t unload or load, no one is here at 7am so what difference does it make? There won't be any shops if the ones we have can’t stick around.”
“It’s the way they keep going backwards and forwards, they don’t finish one area fully before they come back and carry on, which means something is always happening, there’s always disruption,” he explains. "We of course sympathise with residents and businesses who have been affected throughout the construction. While work has taken place as fast as safely possible, there were a range of urgent and unavoidable delays which took place during the course of the project which has pushed its completion back slightly.