St Neots businesses "devastated" by Market Square works

Shops and cafes in St Neots have said the town centre works have "killed business".

St Neots is undergoing a multimillion-pound year-long renovation project which will see the market square resurfaced and freshened up with brand new furnishings and fittings for the future.

But, some small business owners have said the works have decimated footfall.

While the works are set to continue until January 2025, some companies are worried that they won’t make it to the end of the month.

Sue Noades is the owner of Betty Bumbles Vintage Tea Rooms:

"It’s been devastating- it’s literally killed our business. As soon as [the building works] started you just noticed the difference and it just got worse and worse and the people that come to St Neots has just got less and less. We used to get footfall, people stopping on the bus and popping in. A lot of those were older customers- since the disabled bays have all been taken they can’t come here anymore. There was a point when upstairs would be full and downstairs as well- there’s nothing like that now. People can’t get to us, people can’t even see us. You look out the window and all you can see is the building site. It’s not just us, the whole town is affected."

A petition was launched on Monday 22 July 2024 to rally St Neots Town Council to provide "suitable compensation" for the businesses suffering.

Ian McLachlan runs the carpet store Floored By Ian:

"You wake up one morning and come into work and there’s a massive trench outside the store. I mean it’s horrendous. There’s nowhere for [delivery vans] to park and they’re having to go 300m up the road. It’s wasting time and resources. When people are carrying heavy goods the last thing you want to be doing is dodging and tripping over road works. We are looking at carpets that are 300 kilos. It’s a health hazard as much as anything else. The council haven’t spoken to me full stop. I don’t know one business they have been talking to. I just think it’s been thought out in a very poor manner."

St Neots Town Council has been contacted for comment.