IRISH Street businessman Darren Trainor said the public realm scheme needs to be completed quickly for the benefit of everyone in the town.
He said if those in charge of the scheme told traders that they planned to deploy more men to finish it earlier they would put up with the disruption for a just a little longer.
And asking for businesses to be provided with up-to-date information, Mr Trainor appealed to those in charge “come and talk to us”.
He continued: “We received a letter informing us that the work would be completed on March 29. We are all so frustrated that this scheme has taken so long and we have lost regular customers which over a month or two would be fair enough, but over six or seven, you are not going to get them back.
“We have been in business for over 40 years and if it was not for that we probably would have closed by now. The first plan I viewed showed two parking spaces outside my door but they have been taken away.”
Businessman Francie Young, who is also upset about the lengthy delay, also questioned the design of the scheme, pointing to a wide footpath at the top of Irish Street, close to the John Street junction.
“The road will be considerably narrower at this point and can anyone tell me the reason for this?” he asked, while Maurice Massey was critical of the lack of communication with Irish Street business owners, particularly in relation to the delay in completing the work.
He said the business community should have been much better informed, with greater account taken of the impact the delayed scheme was having on trade.
Alan Oakes said “customers have gone” with businesses unsure if they will return. He also appealed for better lines of communication between traders and those in charge of the scheme.
It has also been confirmed that the work in Irish Street is impacting on patients attending a dental surgery, with those most affected the elderly and those with mobility problems.
Traders say they are simply asking for communication and to be told what is happening, with the major concern that a project scheduled to last a few months had now entered its fifth month, with work on only one side of the street largely completed.