North Walsham traders protest works in town centre

They say their trade has taken a battering because of the £1.3m revamp, intended to make the town’s historic centre - also known as the Heritage Action Zone - more pedestrian-friendly. 

But not everyone agrees on the impact of the works, as factors such as the cost-of-living crisis are also thought to be taking their toll. 

The atmosphere was febrile at an informal meeting in front of the town clock in Market Place on Friday.

North Norfolk’s MP Duncan Baker and councillor Richard Kershaw, North Norfolk District Council’s portfolio holder for sustainable growth, butted heads over the management of the scheme. 

And shop owners told of how their trade had been affected since the Market Place works started in September. 

Alan Kelly, from Kelly’s Plaice in Market Place, said he had reached “rock bottom”.

Mr Kelly said: “The plain, simple fact is: no through traffic, no trade.  

“I understand that they want to improve the area, but it has been done the wrong way around.

“It’s very nearly bankrupted me and I know the other traders are down in their takings. It’s been a disaster. I’m struggling to pay my VAT - I’m three weeks overdue.”

Mr Kelly said his takings were 47pc down compared to before the works started.

The cost of the wider project - which has included a makeover of The Shambles pedestrian area, refurbishment of the Cedars building and a new public garden at Black Swan Loke, is around £3.6m. 

The scheme will also see the removal of through traffic and short-stay parking from Market Place, leaving the street open to blue badge holders and loading 24 hours a day.

Mr Kershaw it would be “impossible” to undertake such a big project without disruption. 

He said other market towns were also feeling the pinch. 

Mr Kershaw said: “When this project was first mooted we were quite open and honest that there would be some inconvenience but we’d try and minimise that.

“We weren’t able to forecast the cost-of-living crisis.

“The fast food sector and smaller businesses are suffering from a lack of footfall because people have got less disposable income.

“We’re seeing an increase in visits to food banks of 38pc.” 

Mr Kershaw said he was convinced the scheme would benefit North Walsham in the long run, and NNDC had recently seen interest from two “national retailers” about opening branches there.

He said: “I still believe that this will generate a better environment."

The Market Place works will pause several days before Christmas, and resume in the New Year. 

The project is expected to be finished by March. 

But Mr Baker - who organised the meeting - said the works had been badly handled, and there had been no compensation offered for loss of trade.

He said: “I think the council have concentrated almost entirely on what the town centre will look like at the end of the project and they haven’t put any effort at all into this seven months, which is absolutely hammering the town with disruption.

“One trader said he is losing 400 customers a day. 

“Some of those traders are in grave danger of going bust before the works are finished.” 

Paul East, who runs the Drugstore, a variety store in the Market Place, said: “We’re a savings’ store, so if there’s a cost-of-living crisis our sales normally go up, but we’re not seeing that.

"It’s disappointing and we’re worried about Christmas. We’ve just got to plough a way through it and get to the other end.”

Bob White, who owns the Showcase Gallery, said sales from his shop were down by 40pc. He also suspects that the works have caused flooding of part of his cellar. 

Mr White said: “People are reluctant to pay their bills on a weekly basis and are now putting it off, coming in fortnightly or monthly. But who can blame people when you have obstacles such as this?”

Mr White said he encouraged people around North Walsham to come into town and support their local shops. He said: “We employ people and we’re conscious of that. Regardless of what’s going on in the rest of the country, this is a very local problem.” 

Lucy Shires, county councillor for North Walsham East, said anyone with concerns about the project could also raise them with the North Walsham Business Partnership, which meets at the King’s Arms on the first Tuesday of each month at 5.30pm. 

Out-of-character: Sweet shop owner opposes works

Colin Page, who runs the central C D Page Sweet Shop, said he had been against the project “from the word go”. 

Mr Page said: “I cannot see how cutting off parking and restricting access is going to improve trade in a market town. 

“This isn’t a destination town. This is the sort of place that people pop into, they go to two or three shops and they go home again.

“But they probably do that, two, three, four times a week. If it’s a hassle for them to get here, they won’t stop.”

Mr Page said some works which had already been finished, such as at the Shambles, did not fit North Walsham. 

He said: “It looks more suitable for Milton Keynes than for a historic market town. It’s going to completely alter the nature and the dynamic of the town. 

“From the close of Covid onwards my business had been on a gently upwards curve. We weren’t pre-Covid but we were going in the right direction. As soon as these works started, trade flatlined.” 

‘I’m not struggling’: Some business is doing fine

Not all North Walsham business owners are opposed to the town centre works. 

Mal Gray from Disc'N'DaT, a retro and pop culture shop in Market Place, said he was “sure” that the disruption was having an impact, but thought it had been overegged. 

Mr Gray said: “I appreciate that some of these guys are struggling, I really feel for them. 

“But I haven’t seen that translate into my business.

“Everyone’s being squeezed a bit, but that’s happening across the whole country.

“But I’m not struggling, and all of my goods are luxury goods. They’re not things you need to spend money on.” 

Mr Gray said the works would help draw more shoppers into the town.

He said: “I think that places where people spend the most time are where they will spend the most money, and that’s not where traffic is present. I don’t think that cars equal footfall.”