Five lifts are currently out of order at the multi storey car park that serves the Dolphin Centre in Poole. Initially all six lifts from the multi-storey car park were out of order.
Simon Stockdale who owns Canvas Print said: “I have been here over 25 years, we care about the community and our customers, BCP has a complete disdain for the people who need the lifts and for the people of Poole. There are people that rely on these lifts, and I don’t know what they will do without them.”
Simon added: “We normally have a lot of customers who are in wheelchairs but this past week we have hardly seeing any wheelchair users, so people aren’t coming here. I would say there has been a 70 per cent decline in footfall.”
Steve Wyatt, Restored Retro, said the shop is “just covering its bills” which he feels is due to “around a 30 to 40 per cent” decline in footfall.
Steve said: “I have worked hard over the last nine years to build this business from nothing. We are self-employed and if we don’t have customers then we don’t have money. It is getting to the point where we are going to have to start making some tough decisions.”
Steve added: “It is like being kicked in the teeth when we are already down. It feels like this is a tougher than it was during COVID.”
Ian Davis who runs Loope said: “It is awful, I would say there has been a 70 per cent decrease in customers, there is only a handful of people around it is absolutely outrageous.”
Ian added: “Rather than asking businesses to give discounts as part of a loyalty card scheme the council should be reducing the parking charges.”
BCP Council is introducing a card giving residents discount in shops that chose to become part of the scheme.
Stephen Brockway, owner of the Clipper Restaurant said they have seen around a 40 per cent decrease in customers: “It is definitely making life hard that the lifts are not work, we have a lot of older customers who aren’t coming in because of it.”
Glenn Ricketts, Trespass, said: “The lifts are having a huge impact, I have seen a 60 per cent decrease in footfall.”
Siobhan Sneddon-Kay, Body Shop, said: “It is a bit of a pickle we have a lot of customer who just can’t get into the store. It is having an impact on footfall, our customers are down 49 per cent in the last week.”
A BCP Council spokesperson said: “We appreciate the concerns raised by businesses within the Dolphin Centre and recognise there is work to do to improve the condition of the lifts.
“It is important that residents and visitors requiring step-free access know there are other ways into the centre, such as parking on the ground floor, which has 40 disabled spaces and does not have any lifts or steps on the way to the shops.
“Higher levels in the car park have ramps into the Dolphin Centre, from which its own customer lifts can be accessed.”