Sir,
We have been in business in the heart of Tenby, for some 67 years. Investing large sums of money through four separate businesses with a large number high quality flats and a "unique" Wales Tourist Board Five Star holiday cottage, with secure off street parking.
In that time we have seen many changes, from the advent of the second world war to the imposition of yet another experimental traffic ban.
It may sound melodramatic to lump WWII and a Traffic ban in the same sentence, but that is how seriously we feel it will affect trade, and in particular our ability to carry on a viable business.
In the years that we have been trading we have seen many abortive attempts to control traffic flows in the town, from the permit scheme of the 80s to the closing of the town a few years ago at Easter. All failed due to the fact that they drove people away from the town in their hundreds.
This we fear will happen yet again, with the loss of long established business and an increase in the number of layoffs due to the lack of visitor numbers.
The last traffic ban cost us as a business very dearly, with a 33 per cent down-turn in takings for the two weeks of Easter, lucky for us that the last experiment was part of the so-called shoulder season. This new scheme is however in what we consider our "Bread and Butter" part of the year. Had the Easter scheme continued for much longer we would have very quickly run into serious financial trouble, with all the implications that would entail.
At every state of the so called consultation the town council, business people, residents and ourselves objected, all to no avail.
At the display in the St John's Church Hall, the traffic ban was not even talked about. If it had been displayed we did not see it, all we were told about was the reversal of traffic up St John's Hill and making White Lion Street one way. This, at the time we objected to, and will continue to do so, but feel that the consultation has been deeply flawed in it lack of consideration for the needs of traders inside the town walls.
Deliveries are very important considerations for any trader in the town as on a 9 to 5 day, the traffic ban effectively cuts you off from all deliveries for 50 per cent of your working day. It has been suggested that food stuffs could be transferred from the other side of the town walls into the relevant buildings, we would like to point out that food stuffs such as wet fish, ice cream, all type of frozen goods and pies are all "temperature critical." Meaning that with just one or two degrees of change of temperature over very short amounts of time, food stuffs would be over the safe food storage temperature and we would have to refuse delivery of what would now be spoilt food, adding cost and delivery charge implications. Would we be expected to pay? I think so, as the County Council wouldn't.
Finally we would like to draw your attention to the Pembrokeshire County Councils own Joint Unitary Development Plan.
Policy 95 Traffic Management and Traffic Calming:
Traffic management, including traffic calming, pedestrianisation and pedestrian priority schemes, and measures to encourage the use of public transport, will be permitted where:
i) the proposal gives priority to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport and
ii) the operational needs of businesses are adequately provided for, and
iii) the proposal does not harm the historic character of settlements, the landscape of the countryside surrounding them, or the vitality and viability of the town centres.
We feel that in line with the councils own policy 96/ ii) and iii) that the operational needs of businesses are not adequately provided for and the vitality and viability of Tenby town centre would be hopelessly compromised if this traffic ban were to go ahead.
D. Fecci,
For D. Fecci and Sons.
Oxford House,
Lower Frog Street,
Tenby.