The President's View - March

Released On 25th Apr 2016

Road works in Yeovil continue to challenge residents, visitors and the business community.  First there was the ill-timed Horsey roundabout works between September and November 2015.  Then, seemingly back-to-back, there was the recently completed Hospital roundabout works.  The Yeovil business community is now waiting to see what arises during the work to convert the junction of Lyde Road and Sherborne Road from a roundabout to light-controlled.

Disruptive road works break the routine of travellers and visitors.  Regular visitors to the town from the surrounding area, lose the ‘habit’ of coming into Yeovil.  Once a habit is broken, it is hard to revert to the previous behaviour.  Three retailers have related tales of customers saying that they will not be coming back to Yeovil while the road works are ongoing.  One of these retailers alleged that his neighbours at home in Ash will be shopping elsewhere in future, having recently discovered that Crewkerne is less problematic to get in and out of.

Our town centre retailers are already under threat from internet trading and high business rates compared to out-of-town locations.  Now we have consumers staying away, some allegedly permanently.  Until the completion of the Hospital roundabout works, my usual four-minute drive to the town centre from my home at Chilthorne Domer, was taking twenty minutes.  Upon completion of the works, I found the Hospital roundabout easier to negotiate, but when I drove through at 5:00pm last Monday, there was very little traffic at the roundabout.  Is this evidence that people are staying out of Yeovil, or a result of the changes at the roundabout?

Senior Somerset County Highways officials will be debriefing the Chamber Exec at our 9th May meeting.  Until that briefing, I remain sceptical of the long-term benefit to the town of these road alterations, and remain conerned for the long-term prospects of our town centre traders.

Ending positively; road works or not, Yeovil is a vibrant regional town with a wide range of amenities and retail outlets.  Make that detour.  Allow a little more time.  It’s only some road works.  They’ll soon be finished, and remember, all the while. . .Yeovil remains OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

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