Gas Works - Road Closer - Compensation

[Cameron]

Hi,
Just had news from the local council that roads around my shop will be closed for 26 weeks for gas works and part of the 26 weeks will involve the road outside my shop being closed for 8 weeks.
This will affect our retail trade along with other traders in the area and I wanted to know if any compensation can be claimed if sales drop (I hoping that we do NOT see any drop but we are on a busy road junction and I think it will affect us)

If anyone has had any experience of claims then please let me know.
Regards
Cameron

 

[Big Pete]

I remember years back my local kebab guys shop had similar diversions which meant his customers had to park around the corner and walk to him , obviously he lost around 50% of his business. he kicked up merry hell with the council and got a rates (council tax) discount to help him and that was it though..
He did survive and when the road reopened it was better for stopping there so maybe push scream and shout and just ride it through i guess.

Strange thing is the British road people are so damn slow and useless , compared to over here in Mallorca . Over here from Friday night at 6pm til Monday morning 10am they built a brand new roundabout complete with slip roads and shingle centre paved and just waiting white lining and lighting and fancy monument for the center , which followed during the following week ..

Now thats proper road working , at a weekend 24 hours a day none stop not cone it for 6 weeks start and then flaff around

 

[Cameron]

Hi Big Pete,
Yes I agree with you on the time it takes our companies in the uk to get the gas pipes laid and you never see any sense of urgency.

 

[Maxwell83]

Hi Big Pete,
Yes I agree with you on the time it takes our companies in the uk to get the gas pipes laid and you never see any sense of urgency.

Cameron,

May I send you a PM?

My company specialises in property compensation - we focus on the devaluation of property due to the presence of electricity power lines, however I have the requisite ability (I'm dual qualified survey and commercial property legal exec) and experience (I worked in a law firm for many years that defended all manner of property devaluation claims before I set up my company) to assist you in your situation.

 

[Big Pete]

Hi Big Pete,
Yes I agree with you on the time it takes our companies in the uk to get the gas pipes laid and you never see any sense of urgency.

Well 8 weeks to get a JCB dig a trench drop a pipe in then back fill with sand then shingle ,compact it then tarmac .. Pathetic !!! the Road crew here would rattle that of in a week and keep traffic flowing as well ...

 

[Matt1959]

british roadworking appears a bit of a joke. I watched the other week a guy working a digger and I counted 6 men standing around watching the bucket moving

much the same with railway line workers except they have a nice warm mini bus to sit in to drink their tea....

 

[andygambles]

You need to maintain evidence about what your takings were in the same period previous years and then what it is while in place. Ask your local council for contact at the utility company for claiming compensation.

 

[Big Pete]

british roadworking appears a bit of a joke. I watched the other week a guy working a digger and I counted 6 men standing around watching the bucket moving

much the same with railway line workers except they have a nice warm mini bus to sit in to drink their tea....

LOL yep sounds about right ..

 

[Vectis]

Well 8 weeks to get a JCB dig a trench drop a pipe in then back fill with sand then shingle ,compact it then tarmac .. Pathetic !!! the Road crew here would rattle that of in a week and keep traffic flowing as well ...

Hmmm.....if the road crews in Spain are a match for their house builders I think I'd be more than slightly worried about them, especially as it's gas mains we're talking about here!

 

[shellrob]

YOU SHOULD SEE CHINESE ROAD WORKS - We have had 2 years of replacing the road out side my appartment - they keep digging up what they have done never seen anything like it - so 8 weeks sounds like a dream - with compensation you will need evidence of the drop - i would start asking now but it may take time - when i was in Harrow they closed the road for 3 months and i helped the local shops fight to get compensation as a group - we won in the end but took a long time and a massive file of evidence

 

[fairdealworld]

Whatever happens in 'pre-negotiations' as it were, arm yourself with a camera (your mobile phone will probably do the job just fine) and be ready to start snapping.

In my previous retail premises where for a variety of reasons - many related to the local Council - we were struggling, we were faced with a many week closure for road 'improvements'. It was a one way street and it was going to be completely closed off from half way down and we were in the wrong half. It was actually a very narrow road and there was no obvious reason why it was going to take so long.

I'm older and wiser now, at the time I was so angry and so desperate but maybe not so wise/cunning about the best way to deal with these things. As the weeks dragged on with dire effects on business, some days there was no one working on the site, many days there were work people who, to be fair to them, were obviously perfectly willing to work but who had received no orders or equipment or no supplies of the things needed to do a major street upgrade.

Today I'm older and wiser and a great deal nastier. Today I'd demand to know the start and finish time for each day required for the work and I or a member of my staff would be out there with a smartphone taking photos of every single time there was no one on site or there were people onsite doing nothing because they had nothing to do anything with. I'd demand an explanation from the local authority and the contractor concerned each and every time there was nothing happening and if I didn't get it I'd be phoning the local press and sending them the photos (and going to the local MP if this didn't work) + shouting loud with photos to support on our Facebook page, on our twitter feed etc etc.

I don't mean to say that all roadworks are not got on with but some contractors really do fleece both the locals and the council that are paying their bills. There were some road works on a particularly busy street which must have a big problem for the businesses concerned but I drive along that road every day and at least in compensation for the delays you could see people and equipment really getting at it. The danger for you is that you'll have one of those contractors who accepts multiple contracts without the resources to support this and who moves equipment and people from place to place doing a bit here and a bit there while the residents and businesses suffer.

Lynn