SOME residents and business owners in Poole High Street have expressed outrage at the decision to start the creation of enhanced space for walking and cycling.

The work in the Lower High Street, which started on June 27, also includes a section of Poole Quay and will enable residents and workers to socially distance more easily as people return to open spaces.

However, despite the changes outlined by BCP Council, resident Mark White hasn’t been impressed with the handling of the situation.

He said: “We feel the council are abusing their power. Forty businesses are all up in arms and the council just shoved letters through closed shop premises detailing the plans.

“The council will be shutting the roads and it’s going to be absolute carnage. The council want to take access away from our customers.”

Owner of The Kings Head, Nicky Wheller, claimed a large row between a councillor and several local businesses resulted in some people being “publicly humiliated”.

Speaking to the Daily Echo on June 25, Nicky said: “We have today been in talks with the council regarding our concerns which include no access to business even though we have no back access and no access for disabled who need to be dropped off outside restaurants and public houses (a large portion of my customers are disabled and elderly). Some people are now unable to leave their premises between 10am and 10pm as their parking is inside the no vehicle restrictions.”

Some business owners have claimed coronavirus is being used as a smokescreen for the plans.

Nicky addded: “Yes the pavements are narrow however, if they did a go up one side and down the other it would be even safer for pedestrians as it would restrict the number of people passing past each other and would keep it to two people walking up the road at one time. They are also proposing two-way cycling which could be even worse for pedestrians as seen in Bournemouth very recently.”

Mike and Clare Bennett of The Fisherman Café have been able to offer takeaway service during the lockdown but have concerns about how the work will impact their local customers.

The pair said: “Many of our patrons are older or have special access needs, the removal of the bus stop, taxi ranks, loading bays and complete pedestrianisation means anyone who struggles to get around will have an even bigger struggle trying to come and go from many of our premises.”

Many of the residents and business owners of Poole High Street use the parking on the former Dibben’s site which currently only has one entrance and exit available, resulting in further restriction for those who use the parking space.

Mike and Clare added: “We are being told that we can only access our parking and our places of work or home for many of us via the road between 10pm and 10am. We operate from 6.30am until 2.30am which means we will be locked in and won’t be able to remove our vehicles until after 10pm.

“The pedestrianisation of the high street is being sold to the public as a fairy tale of outside dinning and low impact traffic, while this sounds great and many of us are not against it there has been a considerable lack of thought put into it. The Old High Street is not the same as the quay and needs to be treated as a different area.

“It’s a sorry story as only just before the outbreak of coronavirus we were defending the Old High Street in Poole.”

BCP Council’s cabinet member for transport, Councillor Andy Hadley, said: “We need to make sure that there is more space for people in the town centres and local neighbourhoods to walk and cycle, and to support businesses.

“Temporarily removing traffic from part of Poole Quay will help us to understand the benefits of such a measure. Our hope is that it could become a permanent change, but this would only happen after a further open conversation to give all residents, businesses and stakeholders the chance to have their say.”