A CALL for taxpayer support for businesses hit by the closure of the M4 Badminton Road bridge has been rejected by the government.
Thornbury & Yate MP Claire Young made the call, for payments similar to those made during the lockdown, during a parliamentary debate she initiated to discuss the closure.
But local transport minister Simon Lightwood said the traders would miss out on any payments because the closure, which is set to last more than two and a half years, is “temporary”.
He said: “National Highways provides compensation as required by legislation across its projects and schemes.
“The compensation arrangements generally cover permanent adverse impacts, and the generally held principle is that the public purse does not compensate businesses for loss of earnings due to temporary road works.”
The bridge was being used by around 16,000 vehicles a day before it closed to motor traffic in July 2023, severing the A432 between Yate and Bristol.
‘Diabolical’
Among those hit hard is Kevin Brewer, owner of The Bigger Eater food van (pictured above), who has had a pitch in a lay-by next to Badminton Road in Coalpit Heath for 32 years
He said: “It’s diabolical – trade is down a good 50-60% since the closure.
Kevin’s business relies solely relies on passing traffic, including lorry drivers who had seen it as a “lifeline”.
He said: “It was a layby to have a rest or a chat, a proper little hub. I played the agony aunt as well.
“It’s a no-go now for lorries – lorry drivers just don’t come in now.”
“Financially it has crippled me. I’m looking at three years without any funding.
“I’d like some [financial] help, but it depends what it is. I would hope to be compensated for loss of earnings.
“I do feel depressed and down about it a lot but there are a lot of people struggling with it.”
Takings down 70%
Nearby Viaduct Café owner Grace Roddick said she and her mum Debra, who opened a deli on the site just four days before being told the bridge would shut, have been severely impacted.
Grace, who has owned the café for around two years, said: “I am about 70% down in takings; all me and mum can do is survive it. And the deli was cut off before it started.
“It’s gone really, really quiet – I’ve lost around 60% of customers, and there are now no walk-ins.
“I’ve had to let at least four people go. I used to have two people on each day and now it’s just me and my mum, and sometimes a third person Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It is what it is; we just have to try to get through it.”