Minister looking at help for traders hurt by works

Durham Street is due to be closed for about a year to allow for the dismantling of the Boyne Bridge

The minister for communities is considering a scheme to help businesses in the Sandy Row and Donegall Road area of Belfast affected by roadworks, an assembly member for South Belfast has said.

Durham Street in the city has been closed to allow for the dismantling of the Boyne Bridge.

One business owner told a meeting of Belfast City Council that the bridge closure was causing more damage to footfall than the Covid pandemic.

Translink have said they consulted extensively with local community groups about the construction.

The work is being carried out as part of a redevelopment of the area around the new Grand Central Station.

Translink said the entire redevelopment was due to be completed by the end of 2025.

Edwin Poots said the works need to be "expedited as quickly as possible"

Edwin Poots, an assembly member for the area, said several traders had contacted him to say they were losing business as a result of the works.

Poots said he had engaged with Belfast City Council, Translink and several ministers at Stormont to see what help could be provided.

He said his Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) colleague, the minister for communities, was "prepared to look at a scheme to assist".

Poots said the local community had been opposed to the dismantling of the bridge, but added that it "really need to be be expedited quickly now that it's started".

Once the work was completed it would "doubtless" bring more footfall to the area, he added, "but that's not to be much help to businesses that have already closed because footfall has reduced by 30-40%".

'Miss the chaos'

On Monday night, Belfast City Council heard from several traders from the area.

Sarah McCusker, who owns a dog grooming business, said she was now opening at 07:30 in the morning "in the hope that our customers will miss the chaos".

"Between 4pm and 6pm, traffic is a standstill," she added.

Ben Allen, who owns a furniture shop, asked the council for rates relief for businesses in the area.

"We're basically paying city centre rates in Sandy Row and the Donegall Road and we've nothing now, we've no passing trade, we don't have any fairy lights, Christmas lights or anything up."

Mr Allen said the situation was "worse than Covid".