Shops brace for more streetworks

Retailers on Oxford St, Paddington are bracing for a nightmarish peak trading period with the resumption of electricity upgrade street works by Ausgrid.

Businesses say they have already lost thousands of dollars as a result of the initial works which saw bus stops moved and on-street parking suspended, with large barriers erected and trucks and equipment stored on the street at all hours.

But work on two final stages of the upgrade will resume in February, continuing through the Mardi Gras season.

Robby Ingham of Robby Ingham Stores said previous works had already had a major impact on his business — and that was at the quietest time of the year.

“We saw a dramatic drop-off in business when they were across the road,” Ingham said.

“We were on sale trying to clear stock but we had no one coming through. I had to have a warehouse sale in October because of all the stock I was left with from June – July.”

Opus Design’s Chris Tourgelis said the impact of past upgrades had spread down the street for blocks thanks to the removal of on-street parking.

“It affected our business when it was three blocks up the road because of the lack of parking and all of the things that were happening slowed foot traffic down.”

Both men said they would like to see the remaining upgrade either postponed until June when trading conditions were different or fast-tracked in the meantime.

“Rather than keeping Oxford Str open when they’re not working, they’ve just decided that Oxford St is the easiest place to park their trucks and who cares about the businesses,” Ingham said.

“The place is not going to fall apart if it’s not done for a few months,” Tourgelis said. “There is no urgency in this.”

An Ausgrid spokesman said they had been consulting with local businesses since June and had stopped work from November through January in respect for local businesses.

“[However,] work is restarting in early February and we expect all major road works … to be completed at the end of April 2012.

“Ausgrid is replacing about 1.5 kilometres of electricity cable along parts of Oxford St, Paddington to keep the supply of electricity to local homes and businesses reliable. The cable was installed in the 1950s and for safety and reliability reasons it needs to be replaced without delay.”