Village car park closure 'catastrophic' - traders

The car park is set to be closed for six weeks

Businesses in a Greater Manchester village say the closure of a car park has been "catastrophic" for local trade.

The Village Square Shopping Centre car park in Bramhall, Stockport, was closed last week for a United Utilities project aimed at improving water quality in the nearby Micker Brook.

The firm’s initial ground investigation started on 4 September and is set to last six weeks. The full works will start next year and take place over a longer time, with the exact timescales due to be confirmed later this year.

United Utilities says it has been engaging with the local community and council to inform of their project plans and mitigate the car park closure’s impact.

'We won’t survive this'

While there are alternative parking spots in the area, including at the nearby Meadway car park, businesses said many customers needed to park at Village Square to put shopping in their car, or reduce walking distances for elderly or disabled visitors.

Plumbcake Cafe owner Anna Sheridan said the car park closure had already been “catastrophic” for business.

She added: “It could wipe out the whole of Bramhall, people will go to other places.

“My people are just not coming, we won’t survive this, I’m already thinking about what to do next.”

Anna Sheridan is worried her business will not survive the car park closure

The Village Square has seen a drop in footfall since its Sainsbury’s store relocated in February 2023, traders say, but they warned the lack of parking was now leading to even fewer customers.

For Sharon Dobson, owner of children’s hairdressers Little BigHeads, the parking problem is another major test for the precinct, which she believes will only survive through the loyalty of its regular visitors.

“We have to plead with customers to still shop with us and not forget about us,” she said.

Calls for Park-and-ride

The business owners called for measures such as starting a park-and-ride system so elderly people could still get to the Village Square, and for United Utilities to pay some of their rent during car park closures.

Some said there also needed to be more awareness that blue badge holders in Stockport could park on yellow lines for up to three hours, unless a loading ban was in place.

Stockport Council officials have visited the area, and the town hall said it was aware of difficulties over the loss of parking spaces, but that the work was “essential” and must go ahead.

A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving water quality across the region and this essential scheme will reduce the number of times that the nearby storm overflow operates into Micker Brook.”

The company had been engaging with the community and council to try to mitigate the impact, the spokesperson said.