Carlisle business owners speak out about Devonshire St works

Cumberland Council is currently undertaking construction work on the street to make it more welcoming with wider pavements, trees, and outdoor seating.

The authority has issued reminders throughout the project that the street's businesses have remained open.

But since construction started in February, there has been a significant drop in revenue and footfall for businesses in the area.

"Figures wise, over the five months they've been doing the work, the business is down over £20,000 on this period last year," said one business owner who wished to remain anonymous.

"When trying to contact the council regarding our loss of earnings, they've just blanked my emails. They're not responding."

Mike Hope, owner of Le Gall, said: "It's had a really negative impact. I do a lot of private functions and when I've got a function, obviously it's not particularly affected, but when I haven't, it has been."

Although the pavements on Devonshire Street are open for pedestrian access, the road itself is closed to vehicles which may lead to some confusion regarding whether people can walk down there.

Alongside this, the construction work is visible to patrons of the bars and restaurants lining the street which may affect their overall experience.

Progress on the works in early June. (Image: Cumberland council)

The anonymous businessowner said: "I think foot traffic is a massive thing within the industry, so people just walking by, popping in, and seeing a happy face in the window with the staff, but with the restricted space within the area, the street view is terrible.

"It doesn't entice you to go and sit in there and have a drink." 

Outside seating makes a difference for bars and they had hoped there would be more space for them to set-up tables and chairs outside but there seems to be some uncertainty over whether this will be possible.

"I think footfall in the street has gone down and just having three tables outside made a big difference," said Mr Hope.

"They seem to have put a lot of planters in and things which have taken up all the extra space that we assumed we would get for tables and chairs outside."

However, there is positivity about the redevelopment among the businesses and how attractive it will look once completed.

Mr Hope said: "What they're doing is very high quality. It's very nicely done, so you couldn't complain about that."

The anonymous business owner said: "I do think it will make the street look better, but who's going to take the hit for my business if it fails in the next six months, which with the way things are going, it's just not sustainable.

"What's the point of the street looking pretty if you've got no businesses on the street because you've sent them all into liquidation?"

An artist's impression of the completed works (Image: Cumberland Council)

A spokesperson for Cumberland Council said: "We understand that construction work can be challenging for local businesses.

"The regeneration projects on Devonshire Street have involved substantial improvements, including widening the pavements, introducing new seating, trees, and plants, providing cycle racks, creating a single-lane carriageway for vehicles, and implementing two loading bays. These enhancements will significantly improve the street’s appearance upon completion.

"We have made every effort to keep all businesses informed and engaged, providing regular updates through meetings, newsletters, emails, phone calls, and social media.

"We have addressed any issues raised and consistently encouraged the public to support local businesses. Our communications and signage at both ends of the work area have reinforced that businesses remain open.

"We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of the business owners, we remain committed to supporting them. As the project nears completion, we are excited to plan a street party to involve and celebrate with the businesses.

"We encourage any business owners with concerns to reach out to us directly by emailing carlisle.projects@cumberland.gov.uk."