Pet shop boss blames local council for closure
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A pet shop boss says he has been forced to close after controversial changes to part of Stirling city centre led to a sharp downturn in business.
Gavin Kirkwood shut up shop at Gavin’s Pet Centre after eight years of trading in Barnton Street and he says the decision came about as a direct consequence of a new one-way system.
He is so disappointed with the way the local authority has dealt with the issue, he left them a parting gift on his shop window – a note ironically thanking them for introducing the new measures which some say have been driving down trade in the area.
Works costing around £750,000 have been ongoing for months to widen the pavements and make them more pedestrian-friendly, alter bus and taxi stances, remove roadside barriers and implement the one-way system.
Mr Kirkwood, who now works as manager at Pet Needs and Feeds, Stirling Street, Tillicoultry, told the Stirling Observer he feels for the traders who remain on Barnton Street, and is still friends with many still in business there.
He said: “I’m lucky in the sense that I had this job opportunity coming about anyway. I initially planned to work between the two shops but the minute the works started I could see things were going to go downhill.
“I just feel sorry for the businesses who are left in the area, whose livelihoods are being put at risk.
“I speak to them often and hear about how much their trade is dropping by – it’s heartbreaking."
Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford and Castle ward councillor Jim Thomson last week met with a group of traders concerned about the negative impact the new measures have had on business in the area.
Some say that they have seen a loss in business of up to 50%. In the aftermath Mr Crawford wrote to Stirling Council Chief Executive Stewart Carruth to request an urgent review into the city centre roads layout.
He said: “The traders contend this area of the city is very much less convenient for access for both car users and those using the bus.
“As a result, the traders tell me the footfall of potential customers has reduced dramatically.”
A spokesperson for the local authority said: “We are trying to make improvements to the city centre to benefit businesses, shoppers, tourists and residents whether they are pedestrians, cyclists, public transport passengers or car drivers.
“We understand that the business owner in question has moved on to take up a new role elsewhere which may indicate that the introduction of a one way system might not have been the principle factor here.
“The majority of the scheme has only recently been completed and we have already committed to reviewing the scheme in the New Year when further data can be collected and analysed, and the impact of the system be considered.”
Picture: Stirling Observer
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