A29 landslide: Road closure leaves Pulborough shops 'empty and customer-less'

Shops and businesses in the village are reporting a loss of trade following the closure of the A29 on December 28 when mud and debris fell onto the carriageway.

Drivers have since been causing chaos by ignoring ‘road closure’ signs and using residential roads as cut-throughs. And residents are reporting a growing number of pot-hole damaged roads because of the increase in traffic.

Lorna Cowlin who works at the village’s Greenhouse store in Stane Street, said: “What was once a peaceful village has become a nightmare for the local residents.” And, she added: “The roads are in tatters.”

She said most traders expected business to be slow after Christmas. “It always is in retail but the road closure has not helped us in the slightest. We can now go for hours without seeing a customer, worrying if we would make any money at all, let alone hit our daily targets.“We’re not the only business that is suffering, and Pulborough’s local shops are either empty and customer-less or have wrecked, pothole-filled roads in front of them.”

Shop owner Kerry Coughtrey said she feared the road could remain closed for months. “We are definitely quieter and our income has dropped quite considerably,” adding: “My biggest annoyance is the lack of information from West Sussex County Council. It is frustrating for everybody. If this is going to go on for months, which I horribly suspect it might, we have to do something business-wise.

"When we had Covid we had to completely shut the shop and that is something we could do again, but we just need to know what is happening. West Sussex should give us more information. Maybe they don’t know the answer but I think they need to be honest.”

Alison Howard, company secretary at Hennings Wine Merchants, said: “It’s driving us all mad. Our drivers are having to go further to fuel up. It’s definitely having an impact on our delivery drivers and probably on drivers getting supplies to us as well."

Other local stores also report business being quiet since the road closure, along with some pubs. One publican said: “It’s definietly quieter than at this time last year.”

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A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council said earlier this week that it was not yet possible to say when the A29 would be reopened.

"Safety is always our top priority and geotechnical experts have assessed the embankments along this section of the A29 and advised it is not safe to reopen the road to vehicles and pedestrians. We cannot currently advise on timescales for reopening as the assessments, investigations and solutions are complex and involve our continuing dialogue with the landowners involved.”

He said improvements had been made to diversion route signs, including electronic signs at key locations, and appealed to drivers: “Please use the signed diversion route and take heed of the ‘road closed’ signs and barriers which are there for everyone’s safety."