North Parramatta: The Mills business owners call for work to be delayed on North Rocks Rd
Shop owners from a busy western Sydney shopping centre claim their businesses have been decimated since road closures. They are now calling on the council to suspend work until after Christmas.
Traders at a North Parramatta shopping centre who claim their businesses have seriously suffered since a major road closure are urging a council to suspend work until the peak Christmas retail rush is over.
Parramatta Council started long-planned replacement of Hunts Creek Bridge this year but businesses at The Mills say trade has worsened since the beginning of the closure to northbound traffic on North Rocks Rd last week.
The state and federal governments funded works include replacing the existing 1960s twin stormwater pipes, and involves water, sewerage and electrical work.
The four-week closure at the Windsor Rd, Church St intersection at North Rocks Rd, is expected to last until December 20.
However, North Rocks Rd will close in both directions from Saturday to Monday, and from December 5 to December 8.
Qube cafe owner Eyad Moussa said the council only gave businesses five days’ notice about North Rocks Rd’s closure and trade had plunged, even on the busiest time of Sunday brunch“They’re actually killing us,’’ Mr Moussa said of the council. “Just the whole timing and the effect it’s having on the business, the schools, it’s a big nightmare.’’
Business owners are also seeking compensation and said many customers were going to other shops instead of taking a detour up to 20 minutes via James Ruse Drive, Pennant Hills Rd, Bettington Rd and back to North Rocks to reach The Mills.
Ooshman franchisee Prett Dhillon said: “I think slowly it’s getting worse”.
“It’s a problem for everyone, even the suppliers.’’
World Gym general manager, Michael Davidson, said the business was fortunate to have loyal customers but the project rollout was “poorly executed”.
His co-worker Tina said this time of year was usually the busiest with people preparing to shape up for summer.
“The number of patrons, the number of people coming to sign up has dropped so much,’’ she said.
“We normally have a full carpark day and night, now it’s empty. It takes everyone an extra 15 minutes to get here.”
Woolworths, the anchor tenant, is also reportedly suffering from loss of trade.
A Woolworths spokesman said the company was engaging with the council on the road work and when it would be completed safely.
The Mills centre manager James Anderson said the timing of the road work was hitting retailers hard.
“The foot traffic is substantially down,’’ he said.
“It’s having an impact to the retailers – it’s peak Christmas period and we’ve got major roadworks.’’
A Parramatta Council spokeswoman said it did undertake proper community consultation for the “highly complex and critical” Hunts Creek Bridge project.
“Works and scheduling have been carefully planned in consultation with key stakeholders, including Transport for NSW to minimise disruption and the community and businesses have been proactively informed at every stage of the project,’’ the spokeswoman said.
“Council has listened to stakeholders’ concerns and made changes to maximise access to The Mills shopping centre and neighbouring businesses.
“This included adjusting the work schedule to provide two-way traffic on North Rocks Rd (one lane open in each direction) for most of the program rather than a six-month full closure.”
Questions about compensation were not answered.
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Originally published as North Parramatta: The Mills business owners call for work to be delayed on North Rocks Rd
