Trauma after licensee loses £100k due to roadworks

Peter Hammond, owner of the Toad, in Colywn Bay, has said council work to the promenade outside his pub has cut off anyone wishing to get to it - with parking being taken away, and a one-way system introduced when works started last August.

“The trade we have lost is just phenomenal,” he said.

“There is no parking nearby because of the works on the road, there’s no parking on the promenade. I only have two or three parking spaces anyway, all the other spaces around the houses are taken up by the workers, so it's just been a nightmare.”

As well as facing a decrease in trade, Hammond’s business rates went from £16,800 to £38,000 on April 1 - something he describes a real “kick in the nuts”.

Traumatic

“It’s been a bit traumatic. In the winter we had to lay off staff because the trade wasn't there,” he continued.

Hammond said he had spoken to Conwy Council, but felt they had “washed their hands of it”, and that they “don’t want to know”.

“All I want is the council to be made aware that small businesses like myself need help when stuff like this is happening - like a rate freeze,” he said.

“They should have come to us before the work started and said we are going to freeze your rates until the work is done.”

Forgotten about

Hammond has run the food-led pub for 12 years, and said he is the number one on TripAdvisor in the local area.

“My regular trade have gone to other places, and because they have gone to other places, our pub may have been forgotten about,” said Hammond.

“That's my only concern - getting those people back in the pub who have stopped using us because they have not been able to get into it. 

“It's hard really, we have spent 11 years getting a great reputation for the place and by no fault of our own this has massively damaged us.”

Hammond said he has been approached by legal specialists who have now offered to help.

“Let’s just hope that in the future these works will benefit everyone, but businesses have gone under due to these works,” Hammond added.

A spokesman for Conwy Council's Waterfront Project said: "We recognise that these essential coastal defence and highway works have caused some disruption since they started in August last year. 

"We’ve been assured that the road will reopen by 12 August and we apologise for the delay."