Businesses situated on Greig Street in Inverness say they are bracing for roadworks which ‘may turn customers away’.
The busy street will be closed between its junction with Huntly Street and the junction with King Street from 6am on Monday, April 22, until 6pm on Saturday, May 18.
The closure will allow Scottish Water to put in a manhole and carry out pipe connection works.
There has been disruption in the area for weeks, with work on nearby Duncraig Street and King Street.
Ahead of the closure, some business owners in the area told The Press and Journal they are worried about the impact.
‘Greig Street roadworks could turn away tourists’
Raj Singh, who owns Greig Street Pharmacy on the corner of Greig St and King St, said it has been quieter in recent weeks.
Greig Street is lined with B&B’s meaning tourists often come in for toiletries, but the 51-year-old says the roadworks may be diverting some foot traffic away.
Further down the road, antique shop owner Moira Meldrum is also worried about tourists being turned away.
While the portion of Greig Street in front of The Merchant is not closed, Moira Meldrum said foot traffic will likely be turned away.
She said: “If tourists see the road shut they’ll not come up this way, so we’re losing out on potential customers.
“It’s getting to that season, we’re starting to get some people off the ships.”
The pair said signs telling people businesses are still open during the roadworks would be helpful.
Work ‘needs to be done’ to fix smell
Across the road from the pharmacy, Robert McKendrick who owns the Inverness Computer Centre said he “welcomed the work” being carried out.
He said he had smelt an “odour” at times coming from the pipes in the area.
Back in February, Scottish Water found “a further issue with a section of sewer” on King Street while working on Duncraig Street.
This led to the closure of King Street between Duncraig and Greig, in front of St. Joseph’s RC Primary School.
Despite the extra disruption, Mr McKendrick said: “It needs to be done and we’re looking forward to it being completed.”
Mr McKendrick does worry about parking for his customers though, saying he hopes parking enforcement would take a “sympathetic view” over the coming weeks.
Speaking in February, project manager Thomas Hannan said the roadworks should benefit locals for years to come.
He said: “We recognise that, while essential, these works will cause some significant disruption for residents in the area, as well as for families with children attending St Joseph’s Primary, for which we would like to apologise.”
The utilities provider was running tours of its worksite with students from St. Joseph’s on Wednesday.
More details about the roadworks can be found here.
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