East Lothian shop owners speak up as their businesses face uncertainty amid thoughts to pedestrianise North Berwick's main shopping street.
This comes as the East Lothian Council held a community consultation yesterday, Thursday, August 18, discussing their plans for North Berwick High Street - and the possibility of it turning car-free.
The local traders, however, are sure that the move to pedestrianise the vibrant shopping spot will bring the end to many independent businesses that are situated there.
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Margaret Maitland, the owner of Meg Maitland women's clothing shop, said: "Plans to remove parking and pedestrianise us are forced on us every year, and as businesses, we fight every year to prove that pedestrianisation will be the demise of our street and it's community.
"After the lockdown, our High Street was the backbone of the recovery. It proved that people wanted and needed to be with others, and shopping improved their well-being and mental health.
"Our High Street is a busy 'working' Street. The shops thrive by having through traffic and need to be able to get deliveries at all times of the day.
"Pedestrianisation will mean the closure of shops. Traffic will be diverted through residential areas. The town will start to die like so many others in the UK."
Other business owners in the area seem to share the same opinion about the council's plans. Bev Gilhooley, the owner of Barker & Bone pet shop at 47 High Street, said: "The fact is, 90-95 percent of our customers drive from all over East Lothian and further afield.
"When asked if they would still come if the parking got any harder, they absolutely would not - they would drive to the Fort or shop online.
"Lose even 30 percent of them, and a small business is not a viable business. If it gets any harder for the majority of shoppers to park, then we lose independent shops."
While pedestrianisation seems like a grand decision to make the street safer and more attractive for people, the question of basic convenience often gets overlooked. Bev, 45, said: "They are going to lose an amazing High Street, and they aren't listening to the workers behind it.
"We know what makes this street such a success, and it actually is the accessibility to park near the shops. Like it or not, it's a fact I have learned."
The shop owners have faced tough times during the Covid-19 pandemic and are now hit with another challenge in the form of the cost of living crisis. Bev outlines that the time is not suitable to enforce such massive changes. She said: "It would most definitely push us off the High Street first.
"It is one of the last thriving Independent High Streets left, and these well-intentioned, misguided plans are in danger of adding us to the list of struggling High Streets."
Currently, the North Berwick High Street prides itself on offering a wide range of services, meeting the locals' needs to the fullest. The street has a supermarket, butcher, baker, fruit shop, Post office, newsagents, pet shop, florist, jewellers, chemists, hairdressers, beauticians and children's shop. There are also cafes, pubs, restaurants, gift shops, sports shops, clothes shops, charity shops, estate agents, solicitors' offices, funeral services, as well as a hardware shop, a bank, opticians, physiotherapists and chiropodists.
A spokesperson for East Lothian Council has said that the council is seeking views on options for changes to the layout of the High Street to address concerns and issues raised over road safety for pedestrians and cyclists and urges locals to complete an online survey to express their views on the issue.
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