The Chiswick Shops Task Force has published the results of its detailed survey of businesses on Devonshire Road and Prince of Wales Terrace. The survey, to collect opinion on the access restrictions and the need for parking, including the free 30-minute stop-and-shop parking system, was compiled and analysed by a consultant adhering to Market Research Society (MRS) guidelines. It was administered by hand and by email.
It showed that over half the businesses on these two roads want the road restrictions reversed. Those who do support it do so for only part of the year and, importantly, there is a high level of support for a compromise.
Announcing the survey results, Cllr Joanna Biddolph, founder of the Chiswick Shops Task Force, said, “This is the first survey or consultation on any of Chiswick’s road closures and changes that has followed MRS guidelines. All others conducted by Hounslow council or its consultants have been self-selecting, digitally-exclusive and therefore unrepresentative. We invited all of the 39 businesses on Devonshire Road and Prince of Wales Terrace to take part; all but two did so. This is a very high level of response and shows the degree of concern there is about the current scheme.
“The results show that, while over half the businesses want the scheme reversed, there is a high level of support for a compromise. Even those who support the scheme do so for only part of the year.
“The survey also lays bare the fact that those who suggested, designed and imposed these restrictions, did so without knowing the detail of the type of business, or even how many businesses, there are along these two roads and therefore how the various businesses might be affected. They were also oblivious of the impact of the scheme on residents who live along these roads.
“It is astonishing that such damaging decisions were based on such ignorance. No wonder there is such disdain when cabinet members and councillors – with no connection with Chiswick – taunt people who object to the scheme, referring only to the benefits to cafes and restaurants – one quarter of the businesses on Devonshire Road – while ignoring the dis-benefits to the three quarters of retailers and others who trade here, and the residents who live on both roads. It shows just how out of touch and dogma-driven Hounslow council’s decision-makers are. The council must apologise, especially to the retailers whose livelihoods have been put at such high risk because of its extreme car-free agenda. There was never a need to block off parking for social distancing; footfall on Devonshire Road was light; plus residents already make intelligent environmentally responsible decisions about when to shop by car.
“The council must now – immediately, to reduce the risks of businesses closing – consult on, then swiftly implement, a compromise. That consultation must include businesses and residents living on Devonshire Road and Prince of Wales Terrace as well as residents in the Glebe Estate and the lower section of Devonshire Road. This consultation must also adhere to MRS guidelines.”
A snapshot of the survey results follows. The full analysis is attached and includes the survey in the same document.
Survey of businesses on Devonshire Road and Prince of Wales Terrace
The analysis shows that:
- the current restricted access scheme is not a resounding success; it is not universally welcomed; even for those who do support it, they do so for only part of the year
- of the 37 businesses that participated, 21 (well over half) want the road restored to the way it was
- at the very least it gives a very clear indication for the restrictions to be much less extensive; business owners, whichever side they are on, are looking for something more flexible
- there is a willingness to compromise as many participants chose more than one option; however, the majority want the road as it was
- there is a difference, though not a universal one, between what works for cafes/restaurants and what works for retailers; there must be an acceptable balance between the needs of these two very different types of business, particularly as retail dominates the road by 3:1
- there is no resounding support for a scheme that applies 24/7/365 – the vast majority say partial closure for outdoor drinking and dining is only wanted for some months of the year and at limited times of the day
From the analysis one can conclude that:
- a compromise might be for Devonshire Road to be fully accessible to cars, with parking reinstated as before, outside the summer months (people are more likely to need to drive when it’s cold, dark, miserable) and for partial closure while always retaining some access by cars, and parking reinstated as before when the road is open, during the summer months
- the road can never be closed in full along any part of it – two businesses operate in Prince of Wales Terrace one of which needs access until 8pm Monday to Friday and 6pm on Saturdays
Important issues for businesses:
- shops need their shop fronts to market their goods when they aren’t open; using space in front of them for outdoor dining/drinking must only be done with full permission which must not be pressured and can be refused
- people who say deliveries could be at certain times of the day don’t realise that deliveries are impossible to time; additionally, goods to some businesses are extremely heavy and bulky and cannot be carried on foot or trolleys
- one shop provides a 24-hour service which requires access by car and parking
- many retailers have lost multiple customers who can’t carry what they need to collect, need to carry those items in a car and need the certainty of a nearby parking space
- currently, and perhaps for longer than currently planned, cafes/restaurants can only serve customers outside so the pressure to do so is great – a pattern has yet to emerge; while there might always be some demand to sit outside, particularly by smokers, numbers might reduce to negligible or none on rainy or colder days and during winter months
- it is striking that so many people, including those who designed and imposed the restrictions, don’t know the detail of the type of shop, or even how many there are, along these two roads and therefore how others might be affected; the same point applies to awareness of the impact on residents who live along these roads
Important issues for residents:
- the impact on residents must not be ignored, this survey is only about businesses – both Devonshire Road and Prince of Wales Terrace are residential roads
- there have already been complaints from residents about customer noise including late at night, playing music outside including disturbance by a singer with a very limited repertoire
- the road can never be closed in full along any part of it – residents of Prince of Wales Terrace cannot be trapped in by being prevented from leaving their homes by car which they can only do by driving down Devonshire Road
Next steps:
- a consultation must be held for residents living on Devonshire Road and Prince of Wales Terrace as well as in the Glebe Estate and the lower section of Devonshire Road; this survey must also follow MRS guidelines
- in their survey responses, multiple businesses have demonstrated an openness to compromise; there is a need for the council to do the same, finding a compromise through further consultation on the detail.
The analysis and survey are below.
