Worried business owners in Dundee say they are losing customers as scaffolding has hidden their shops for over a year, despite no work being done.
The structure has been in place since last September outside a building on the corner of High Street and Castle Street, sparked by loose stones and roof tiles.
But 13 months on, repair work still isn’t complete due to red tape surrounding the building’s listed building status.
Tayside Property Management, who own part of the building and are leading the effort, says the scaffolding must stay up for public safety.
But owners of shops on the ground floor say they are being hidden from passing trade, leaving them out of pocket.
‘People just walk past us’ say Castle Street shop owners
Dawn Braithwaite, owner of J.A. Braithwaite, Dundee’s oldest shop, said the situation has had a “considerable impact” on her business.
She added: “A lot of people just walk past, they need to really look for us.
“We’ve seen a noticeable difference in numbers since the scaffolding has gone up, especially last Christmas.
“Customers coming into the shop is what pays the bills.
“It also doesn’t make the city look nice.
“If it is up and work is getting done that’s fine, but we’ve only seen that on a couple of days.”
Alison Strachan, owner of Maisie and Mac, has kept extra lights up around her windows and is getting a banner made to make her shop more visible.
She said: “I’ve had customers say they struggled to find us because the shop is so hidden.
“It’s affecting passing trade.
“The scaffolding went up just as we were coming out of the pandemic and getting back to normal.
“We don’t know what is going on or how long it’s to last.”
“We should have been consulted but weren’t. We were told the repairs were urgent and the scaffolding up as a priority.
“It does worry you. We’ve spent one Christmas hidden and don’t want to spend another.
“If the work needs done I’m in favour, it’s a beautiful building, but it should be put up, the work done and then the scaffolding put away again.”
Public safety is priority
A spokesperson for Tayside Property Management said: “We are waiting on the council giving us the go ahead before work can begin.
“We’ve gone through all of the appropriate channels and won’t start until we have approval.
“The work needs to be done. We discovered the roof and some stone balustrades were moving.
“We put the scaffolding up in the interest of public safety, which is our priority.
“We don’t want people to be injured or killed by parts of the building falling on them.
“We want the work done quickly too, having the scaffolding up for so long is costing us lots of money.
“We understand the concern but the public’s safety is important and always comes first.”
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said additional measures are needed to protect the historic fabric of the building.
They added: “We have been working closely with the owner/s to ensure all statutory requirements have been satisfied and it is hoped the works will be able to start in the near future.”
Conversation