Does Southwark really care about the high street?
LTNs are destroying jobs and the local economy, Dulwich businesses tell Southwark Council
On 7 and 8 September – just hours before Southwark Council officers were due to make their recommendations on the future of the Dulwich LTNs on 9 September – Councillor Catherine Rose, the decision-maker, and Councillor Jason Ochere, the Cabinet Member for Businesses, Jobs and Town Centres, finally held meetings with shops and businesses in East Dulwich and Dulwich Village.
If either councillor had been in any doubt before the meetings as to the impact the Dulwich LTNs were having on the businesses in East Dulwich and Dulwich Village, they were left in no doubt by what they heard: customers are going elsewhere, sales have slumped, businesses are closing or moving to other areas, shop staff are already being made redundant, and the future of our once thriving high streets is at a tipping point.
Every single one of the sixteen East Dulwich and eighteen Dulwich Village businesses that took part was clear that they were suffering a dramatic reduction in business as a direct consequence of the road closures and restrictions, not the pandemic. They were also clear that, unless these measures are reversed, there will be further staff reductions and more business closures to come.
Many retailers highlighted concerns about the future. “The loss of footfall is not sustainable,” one East Dulwich trader said. “We cannot be a high street that is only busy on Saturdays – it just won’t work.” Another said that Clapham had picked up a lot of their trade “because people find it easier to go there than to come here and sit in horrendous traffic on the South Circular for 40 minutes, just to get to Lordship Lane.”
The damage the LTNs are doing to individual businesses, and to both areas as shopping destinations, was laid bare. Business after business highlighted the full negative effects of the experimental measures, which include the following:
Customer numbers and trade have reduced by between 20% and 80% compared with pre-pandemic data, depending on the type of business
Most businesses rely on customers coming in to the area from outside. For many retailers, destination shoppers typically account for half their sales
People are no longer visiting Dulwich as a shopping or leisure destination because of the risk of fines. Customers who have been fined have said they won’t come back
Significant redundancies have already been made by several retailers and more will occur if trade does not return soon
In Dulwich Village, some shops are reducing their shopping hours as customers no longer visit before 10 am and few do so after 3 pm. “The village is being turned into a ghost town during prohibition hours,” said one retailer
Deliveries both incoming and outgoing are badly affected. Suppliers are unable to make timely deliveries to shops without incurring fines that retailers have to pay, and congested traffic on surrounding roads is making deliveries to customers almost impossible
Staff no longer want to work in Dulwich because of the difficulties involved in getting there, whether by car or by public transport. One retailer who has provided apprentice training is no longer able to do so
There has been a loss of East-West trade. East Dulwich used to get customers from Dulwich Village and West Dulwich, who now no longer visit. Similarly, Dulwich Village no longer gets as many visitors from East or West Dulwich
The local sports, health, exercise and dance businesses are now struggling because classes are going elsewhere and people are no longer attending coaching sessions. Fitness classes for older people, after-school clubs for children and “leisure activities crucial for the health and wellbeing of those who attend” have stopped. Some are considering moving their business out of the area altogether
Passing trade has dropped off and key services such as the post office and chemist are threatened
Several said they will have to close either partially or permanently if the situation does not improve soon.
At the Dulwich Village meeting, the Chief Executive of the Dulwich Estate, Simone Crofton, expressed concern on hearing the data presented, which clearly separated the effects of the road closures from the effects of the pandemic. Hazel Broadfoot from Village Books, who is Chair of the Dulwich Village Association of shops and businesses, commented that there have been two surveys of the local traders, both showing that 95% are calling for an end to LTN restrictions.
The two meetings could not have sent a clearer message. Dulwich as a viable shopping destination and the heart of the local economy is under threat. It would be a catastrophe if these formerly highly successful high street and side street shops and businesses were sacrificed because of a failed traffic experiment.
The businesses await Cllr Rose’s decision with considerable apprehension.