Business at 'breaking point' over roadworks scheme

Owners of a restaurant in Halifax say a multi-million pound roadworks scheme has cost them about £60,000 in reduced takings over the last 10 months.

Cousins Lino and Antonio Massimo have built up their family restaurant, Sapore, based on Central Street, over nine years.

But major roadworks which Calderdale Council says will create active travel routes in and around the town centre have left the business at "breaking point".

"We fully appreciate and regret the disruption the essential regeneration work in Halifax town centre is having on Sapore and other businesses," said Calderdale Council's assistant director for strategic infrastructure, Adrian Gill.

The restaurant bosses said in a social media post that takings were down £60,000 compared to the previous year as a result of the disruption, which has included work barriers blocking the building's disabled access, missed completion dates and dust and dirt.

Sapore's basement kitchen was left flooded last week after a workmanship fault on paving outside, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They said their business rates bill had also doubled.

"After nearly a year of being boxed in, we have reached our breaking point," they wrote.

"We are a local business trying to survive but these conditions are making it impossible."

Lino told the BBC he and Antonio had not taken a wage from Sapore in recent months.

"There's just no consideration for my business," he said.

"I get people through the door and I have to be smiley, always happy. I can't give them the stress I'm going through, it's not easy for me and I take that stress home.

"This is my life."

Gill said the council was working as "efficiently as possible to complete the works and minimise disruption", but no timescale for their completion was provided.

The A629 phase 2 Halifax town centre project is a £64m scheme to create more walking and cycling routes. The council previously said it would be complete by summer 2028.

Gill added: "Supporting local businesses is really important to us – it's never our intention for improvement works to make things more difficult, and we want businesses to feel listened to and supported.

"Along with the construction contractor, Galliford Try, we are in touch with Sapore about their specific concerns and will keep them updated as we continue to investigate the cause of the flooding to their kitchen."

He said business rates were set by the government and Sapore received a discount through the council's Supporting Small Business Relief scheme.

Lino said the discount amounted to about £800 of his bill of roughly £6,000.

"I'm not against the roadworks, it's the way they are doing it," he added.

"None of the team ever come into my restaurant to see if I'm OK and say 'We are doing this'."

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