It's a cold, miserable morning in Woodfield Street, Morriston. The clouds are dark and the air is cold.
Widely regarded as Swansea's second high street, today it is quiet, with only a handful of shoppers quickly rushing to get what they need before getting caught in the impending downpour.
Recently, Swansea Council has invested £160,000 in greening works, as part of the regeneration of the area.
It will see the introduction of new trees and granite kerbside planters with planting providing year-round greenery and improving the street’s appearance.
Read more: 'I'm paying my staff's wages out of my own pocket' The high street struggling to survive a perfect storm
But after a number of hard years, exacerbated by the pandemic, some of Woodfield's traders aren't sure if it will be enough to save their high street.
Sian Evans, owner of Flowers by Sian says that she has really noticed a decline in footfall since the start of the pandemic, something which her business relies on.
She said: "Since we have lost a few of the bigger names on the street, like Peacocks for example, people don't come here the same.
"This street used to be a shopping destination, but as more and more names have gone, people only come if they need something, not to browse."
Sian added: "Passing trade is something we rely on, we obviously have our funeral homes and so on who we supply regularly, but the walk ins, that's what supplements us.
"The pandemic has taken its toll on us, like it has any other business, but this Christmas has been our worst since before the pandemic.
"The orders just haven't been coming in and it's because people aren't coming to Morriston to shop, they're going into town."
As part of the council's redevelopment work, the area will see new planters, bench seating and cycle racks. Bollards that are no longer needed will be removed – and new interpretation boards will celebrate the area’s heritage.
The new planting will improve bio-diversity, attract pollinating insects and will absorb pollutants and surface water. The aim of this is to create a street where visitors will enjoy spending time in a healthier and more attractive environment.
Sian said she liked the idea of the council's green scheme, but added: "Ultimately, if the council doesn't bring in some big names, I don't know if it will be enough to keep the high street going. I'm really unsure of its future.
Hairdresser Dean Williams, owner of Dean Williams Hair Group, opened up on Woodfield Street 35 years ago, and says he's just had the worst Christmas period he can remember.
Dean said: "The government have said we can open and get back to normal, but no clients want to come in. Especially in the last couple of months, with the rise of the new variant, they are too scared to come out.
"I was making more money when we were closed and on furlough than now, because everyone's wages were covered.
"But now there's just so much Covid around, just a few weeks ago I got it for the third time, and obviously I had to isolate - there went two weeks of clients.
"I recently got £2000 from the government to help, but that barely covers the bills, never mind my wages, the girls' wages. It's mental."
Gesturing to the street below, Dean asked: "How many hairdressers do you think there are on the street? When I opened up, there were maybe four or five. Now, however, there's 21 of us. If the population of Morriston was 20,000 people, then that's barely 2000 clients each.
"Once upon a time, you could only open a business if the area needed it. Now it seems you can open what you like where you like. No amount of greenery and benches that the council is spending its money on is going to solve that.
"And just you watch, those plants will be in someone else's garden by the end of the week. The won't be there long at all."
Owner of discount store Bits and Pieces, Paul Henry, said that the lack of footfall had left him shutting up shop early.
He said: "Some afternoons I'm just sat here, I see one customer if I'm lucky. Yesterday, I decided to go home by 4.45pm because it was that quiet, it wasn't worth the extra money in bills.
"I've definitely noticed a drop in footfall, probably 30 to 40%. The streets are very very quiet, but I hope it will pick back up.
"The biggest problem for me is parking, there is never enough parking. We do have two car parks but a lot of people who work on the street park in them. I also know that there are people who will park up, and get someone to notify them when the ticket inspector comes, and then drive their car away and bring it back when they've gone, so they can go the whole day without paying.
"This all of course takes spots away from customers, who no doubt will just drive the extra 15 minutes into town if they can't get a spot.
"We need more parking, but where would it go?"
One trader on Woodfield Street, however, has had a contrastingly positive festive season.
Director of David Michael LTD jewellers, Kyle Hopkins says his business, which he inherited from his grandparents, has gone from strength to strength.
He said: "We've had loads of customers, of all ages, which is quite rare for us. we've had people in their 20s, their 30s in, which is great. So yeah, absolutely no complaints compared to previous years, I actually think we were up after Covid.
"I think a lot of people are shopping local rather than going to the city centre."
"I understand a lot of people have issues with the amount of parking, but Morriston is a town that wasn't designed for so many cars.
"What they're forgetting however is there's so many people who live in Morrison that don't need a car to come to the street. They will get the bus in or even walk."
Kyle's grandparents opened up their shop on Woodfield Street 48 years ago, and Kyle himself has witnessed the business and street change over time. He thinks it's time the street got an upgrade.
He said: "Any regeneration is great in somewhere that has been previously neglected. So to see changes is fantastic rather than it just being the same street it has been for 20 years. So I think it's fair. I mean, anything they do to bring more people in is great."
The Welsh Government is offering a £120m package of emergency financial support covering impacted businesses for the period from December 13, 2021 to February 14, 2022.
Businesses eligible for non-domestic rates-based payments need to register with their local authority from January 13, and will start receiving payments shortly afterwards.
A Welsh Government spokesperson previously told Wales Online: "Systems are being established as quickly as possible to enable this. The application window for the Economic Resilience Fund will open during the week starting 17 January with payments reaching businesses within days."
“On top of this, for 2022-23 the Finance Minister in the recent budget confirmed an additional £116m package of non-domestic rates relief for businesses in sectors hardest hit, which means retail, leisure and hospitality businesses will receive 50% non-domestic rates relief," they added.
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