BUSINESS owners in Stonehouse High Street are quite right to be furious over plans to rip up the town centre just months after the latest resurfacing work was completed.
Many of the traders have barely had time to regroup after a summer of agonising disruption brought the high street to a standstill and resulted in thousands of pounds in lost business.
At a time like this when high streets across the district are feeling the pressure of changing shopping habits and the town’s banks are closing, small independent traders need assurances, not uncertainty.
While we do not yet have all the details of where this underground cabling will pass through the town, it is clear this will result in major disruption and roadworks, and that the traders will be the ones to suffer most.
An alternative route that completely misses out the town centre must be found and agreed upon by all parties involved.
The Javelin Park incinerator is far from the most popular project in the district but the cabling work is clearly necessary, however there must be a way to do it without jeopardising Stonehouse’s businesses again.
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There are two main proposed routes for running the cabling from the A419 to the B4008.
The first option (pictured) ploughs directly up the High Street, while the second avoids most of the main shopping area by diverting down Regent Street and across to Elm Road.
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