Emily Chapman Laing
Business owners in Selandra Rise Shopping Centre are calling for compensation after enduring months of trade-killing roadworks by City of Casey.
The 14-month-long roadworks on Linsell Boulevard in Clyde North have driven down revenue for some local business owners by a reported 40 per cent since the works began in February 2022.
“We have lost a lot of customers,” said Billionaire Lotto owner Mary Annam.
“We are completely isolated from customers we were getting from that side [of Berwick Cranbourne Road],” Supps247’s Param Gill said.
“Even once the road opens up, I don’t think we’ll get them back because people get used to wherever they go.”
When asked by Star News about possible compensation for business owners, the council said the roadwork delays were out of their control.
“We apologise for the inconvenience being experienced by business owners and road users as a result of delays – which have been outside of council’s control,” said James Collins, director city planning and infrastructure.
When pressed for a specific answer to the issue of compensation, City of Casey referred to the above statement.
This is confusing for locals and business owners who say it was the council’s failure to get the necessary approvals prior to commencing the project that has the roadworks at a standstill.
The council is currently awaiting approval for an easement by Melbourne Water.
Despite “pursuing Melbourne Water for many months”, there has not yet been any resolution to this issue.
Locals were originally told the roadworks would be completed by November 2022.
Completion projections have now been pushed back to July 2023, leaving some business owners with half their usual revenue for a whopping 17 months.
Volt Cafe’s recent new owner Mauilkkumar Patel said he is losing up to $7000 each week.
“We looked at the numbers of the people who were running the cafe before Covid and before the roadworks and [revenue] has drastically changed.
“We don’t have that morning coffee rush anymore.
“We are losing at least six to seven grand a week.”
Likewise, Agha Juice’s Navid said his business revenue has dropped 40 to 50 per cent..
Charcoal Chicken owner Lyn said she wouldn’t have bought the business if she knew how long the roadworks were going to take.
“Before we bought the shop here in August, we were told the road would be opening in November,” she said.
“With inflation and everything, we’re way down.”
As a new owner, Lyn is still trying to establish her business in the community.
“We’re still growing, but people are telling us they can’t get through, so they don’t come.
“We bought the business being told everything was going to rebuild.”
Lyn said the previous owners reported losses of $5000 per week once the roadworks began.
“We’re probably down around $7000 or $8000 a week now.”
The roadworks have restricted the flow of traffic past Selandra Rise Shopping Centre.
“People aren’t going to travel all the way around, they’re going to go somewhere else,” Mr Patel said.
Amar Handa of Royal Sweets Indian Restaurant also acknowledged the inconvenience of extra driving time to the centre.
“When people have to drive ten minutes around, they prefer to go somewhere else,” he said.
Mr Patel said that without Woolworths operating in the centre, other businesses would be completely depleted.
With the cost of living on the rise, Selandra’s businesses and their owners are now struggling to stay afloat.
Mr Patel spoke of the council’s silence towards suffering business owners.
“They don’t even say anything, not at all. Why do we pay the council rates?”
Mrs Annam said she feels doubly taken from, as it is council rates that fund council roadworks, which in turn have seen a drop in revenue.
Mr Patel lives in the estate located on the opposite side of Berwick-Cranbourne Road.
The roadworks have turned his two-minute drive to work into a “20-minute to half an hour” venture.
With two schools in the area, congestion has driven away what customers remain.
“After 2 o’clock, people don’t want to come to Selandra Rise,” Mr Patel said.
“And honestly, when I pick my son up from school I just want to go, otherwise we’ll be stuck there for 20 minutes at least.”
The roadworks saga will continue into the next financial year.
“It is expected that the intersection will partially open in May to allow traffic to turn left-in and left-out of Linsell Boulevard and Hardys Road,” Mr Collins of Casey Council said.
It is anticipated the intersection will be fully opened and operational by the end of July.
“They’ve got to do something because it’s too hard,” Lyn said.
