As The Press previously reported, three months of work got underway earlier this week in Shambles to renovate and replace damaged windows in some of the historic buildings.
City of York Council says the work which started on Wednesday (March 12) are due to end on Friday, June 6 and will affect the street for vehicular traffic between its junctions with Pavement and King’s Court.
They have apologised for any inconvenience caused while the works take place.
But traders say that signs have gone up saying the road is closed with nothing to suggest that the businesses in the street are still open or that the closure does not affect pedestrians.
He said: “We don’t have a problem with the scaffolding going up, it is the signage which is just downright stupid.
“The businesses down here are going mad about it. There is nothing to say that the businesses are still open or that the street is still open to pedestrians.
“It’s not rocket science, the council just needs to sort out some signs letting people know they can come down the street.
“I’m not entirely sure why the signs are necessary at all as we now have bollards in place to stop people driving down the street.
“This time last year we suffered all the disturbance from the bollards going in and now because of this our trade is right down because footfall is right down.
“We understand that work has to be done to preserve the historic buildings, but this closure is over Easter and Mother’s Day – two very important periods for us and other traders.”
City of York Council say they are working with Visit York and on their our own social channels to help share a ‘business open as usual’ message and will be updating the road signage to include the same, rather than just saying ‘road closed’.
Nicholas Collins, commercial property manager at City of York Council said: “Shambles is not only one of York’s most iconic sights, shopping streets and visitor destinations but also an important heritage asset which must be maintained safely.
“City of York Council owns 70 per cent of the buildings in Shambles and these maintenance works are vital to the future of the street.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused while these works take place.
“However a recent survey identified a significant number of windows in need of urgent repair and, in order to complete these important works safely, a scaffold is needed. Due to the narrowness of the street this requires a road closure to keep workers and pedestrians safe and to ensure CYC is adhering to its statutory duties.
“We are acutely aware of the disruption this kind of project can cause, and are working with businesses to minimise disruption. This has included contacting businesses to understand their delivery movements and offering help such as the loan of hand-carts.
“We are also ensuring that customers can access the shops at all times and council will be promoting Shambles as being open for business. We will continue with this support as the works progress.”
