Island Bay cycleway claims another victim

Stuff reports:

As Wellington’s Island Bay cycleway saga drags on, more dairy owners claim the debacle have put them out of business.

Mersey St dairy co-owners Sanjay and Jayshree Patel say they will be closing their business in November because of a lack of parking outside their shop.

Last year Chappies Dairy on Dee St closed, with the owners saying the removal of parking outside the store for the cycleway proved to be the “nail in the coffin” for their business.

Well done Wellington City Council. You’re slowing killing off the community’s shops.

The Mersey Street dairy was my local dairy as a kid. Lovely owners whom everyone knew. They even extended credit to an eight year old, knowing they’d see me tomorrow, if I had no money on me. Purchased many wine gums from that store.

Very sad to see it become a victim of the Council’s arrogance and incompetence.

Sanjay Patel said his business had plummeted by 60 per cent since the cycleway was built.

What business could survive that?

Daksha and Thakor Gopal, who own the Hy-Grade Dairy across the road from the Patels, said they sympathised with their plight and agreed the parking problem would have had a big impact on business.

Thakor said no-one was listening to dairy owners’ concerns and that within five years all Island Bay’s dairies would be closed.

The Council has just done over the Island Bay community.