A RESTAURANT owner in Bridge Street has hit out at plans to change the traffic flow in the town centre saying it would be ‘the final nail in the coffin’ for businesses.
John Panyis, of Sophia’s Restaurant, said his business had already lost up to 20 per cent as a result of the fire above Fat Cats in January.
Nor t h a m p t o n s h i re County Council is proposing several changes to the road network in the Bridge Street, Drapery and St John Street area.
The proposals include widening footways and changing road access in Bridge Street, making St Giles Square a one-way street to all traffic, allowing vehicles to travel along Gold Street towards All Saints Church, the Drapery and Bridge Street.
Another shopkeeper unhappy with the plans is Peter Lumbis from Crop Shop, also in Bridge Street.
He said: “It frightens me a bit and I think we could lose 25 per cent of all our trade. I have seen the plans and I do not know what to say.
“If they put a sign up trying to tell people where to go it won’t be easy for them to read. At the moment I can see eight cars parking up the road and one facing down.
“People have taken no notice of the signs.”
He added: “You want to bring people into the town centre, not turn them away. I don’t think they have thought this through.”
Cabinet member Councillor Andre Gonzalez De Savage, said: “There’s a great deal planned for the town centre over the next few years so it’s important that we get the traffic flows right to make sure everything works together.
“What we’re proposing will be of a very high design quality and will greatly enhance the appearance of the town.”
The plans will be on display until February 10, in Sessions House Reception, County Hall
