Traders angry as busy Selby road to shut for three weeks (From York Press)

Traders angry as busy Selby road to shut for three weeks

9:18am Monday 20th February 2012 in Selby & Tadcaster By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

PLANNED changes to a Selby street will mean businesses will suffer and the town will lose a link to its heritage, it has been claimed.

A year after a main road into the town was closed for two months, businesses will face another test when Finkle Street is closed for three weeks for road alterations.

North Yorkshire County Council will close the road from next Monday to improve footpaths and resurface part of the street, which is currently cobbled.

David Fieldsend, chairman of the Selby Chamber, said the closurecould affect businesses who were still getting back on track following the closure of the Toll Bridge for two months last year.

Mr Fieldsend said: “As we celebrate a year since the last major disruption to hit the town and things are finally getting back to normal, we are to be hit by another blow to traders and consumers. Finkle Street is our second busiest street in town for traders and businesses, and the plans to effectively close it for resurfacing work will have a major impact on footfall.

“The bridge was nearing collapse, so that needed to be done, but I cannot see any major problems down Finkle Street apart from a few loose cobbles, which just need re-setting. Why also are they planning to Tarmac it?

“This will be more costly initially and also in the long term, as maintenance of Tarmac is must higher than cobblestones which have been down for hundreds of years.

“We will also lose yet another link with our heritage if this plan goes ahead.”

County councillor Karl Arthur, local member for Selby said: “The county council regrets any disruption caused by these necessary works and will undertake to complete them as swiftly and efficiently as possible. We have taken every measure to accommodate the needs of local businesses while this work is taking place.”