The owner of The Chicken Spot, along with Paul Levick from Singleton Sound Solutions, told Singleton Council passing traffic was the life-blood of their businesses and any traffic measures that encouraged vehicles around Ryan Avenue would jeopardise their businesses.

Their other concerns included the raised pedestrian crossings, a proposal to introduce a 40kph speed limit in John Street, loss of some car parking and increasing the width of the footpath.

They asked for another 28 days to discuss parking and traffic issues.

At the same meeting, council unanimously approved the upgrade and expressed their desire the start the work in July.

Now, with the news stage one of the project will start on January 6 and take nine months to complete, Mrs Thompson fears this may be the final nail in the coffin for many struggling retailers on the street.

She says given the scope of the work it is going to be a “nightmare” and any 

disruptions are going to be costly given the downturn in the mining industry.

“I really don’t see how the council can minimise the impact of having the road ripped up and pavement being laid,” she told The Argus.

“Pedestrian and road traffic is going to be affected and this is what my business and others rely on.  

“We need people to be able to park out the front of our shops and grab what they need without having to walk a long way.  

“Otherwise they will go somewhere else and then it is very hard to get them back again.

“We will have to just wait and see if it is viable to remain open during construction period.  

“If it gets too quiet we may have to restrict our trading hours.”

Mrs Thompson is especially concerned what the future will hold for a number of the newer businesses that have opened on John Street.

“These start-ups don’t have a lot behind them and they will still have to pay rent, wages and electricity even if they are not getting any customers through the door,” she added.

“I just think widening the footpaths is going to cause problems on an already congested road and it has not worked in so many other places, like Maitland and Newcastle. Why are we doing it here?”

She feels the money being spent on this part of the upgrade should have been put toward beautifying a larger section of the street.

Fellow business owner Ken Lawson, who runs a newsagency on John Street, also has concerns about the project.

“My concerns are primarily about parking space but at this stage the thing that disappoints me the most is a lack of communication on the council’s part,” he told The Argus.

“We were never consulted from the start and the only time I hear anything is when I read it in the paper.  

“We haven’t heard anything from them since the council meeting.”

Mrs Thompson agrees and says the council only speaks to the Singleton Business Chamber.

“Everyone knows very few retailers on John Street are involved with the chamber so we are not kept up-to-date.”