Traders condemn pedestrianisation claiming it has affected business

TRADERS have condemned the pedestrianisation of the heart of High Wycombe saying it has made it less accessible for shoppers and affected their businesses.

The comments were made by market traders, managers and shop owners, as part of a survey conducted by Wycombe District Council, which gathered opinions on the changes to the High Street and Church Street completed in 1999.

Shoppers, particularly women, said the town centre was now a 'safer shopping environment' and more 'family friendly'. The survey found 74 per cent of traders thought it was more difficult to reach the town centre. Only 37 per cent of the public thought it was a problem.

Roy Bagley, chairman of High Wycombe Market, said: 'There has been a lot of money spent on it and they still can't get it right. We had got short-term shoppers who came and went in half-an-hour, but they can't do that any more so they don't come into the town.

'We have had a tremendous turnover of traders in the last two years and we have lost a lot of stores from the high street because we have lost a lot of trade.'

The public approved of the traffic-free High Street, with around 95 per cent of those questioned agreeing. Only 59 per cent of traders agreed with pedestrianisation.

Other features of the enhanced High Street that prompted a big response were the granite balls which 63 per cent of the traders and half the public disliked. The survey showed 63 per cent of traders thought the bollards were alright, as did three-quarters of the public.

Mike Bomford, a Wycombe District Council spokesman, said: 'The latest survey results are very encouraging and show the public's positive attitude towards the enhancements. The council continues to see the High Street as an important part of the town's future.'