“It will completely destroy everything”: Pub owner claims controversial cycle lane construction is costing her business “£5,000 a week”, month after bike lane also blamed for “awful” chippy’s demise

The ongoing controversy surrounding the construction of a cycle lane in Ferndown – which has been the subject of online misinformation and blamed by a fish and chip shop owner for the takeaway’s demise, despite its “awful” ratings – continues this week, as a publican claimed the works are costing her business £5,000 a week and placing the pub in “survival mode” due to a lack of customers.

Frances Brabant, the owner of the Pure Dop pub on Wimborne Road East, where the final section of 4.3 miles worth of cycling infrastructure is currently being built in the Dorset town, has complained to the local authority about the works, claiming customers are being driven away and that previously agreed plans to minimise disruption for deliveries have not been adhered to.

However, Dorset Council have responded to the publican’s complaints by claiming that she only “recently” engaged with the local authority about the works and that the lane’s resurfacing programme was brought forward to reduce its impact on the pub’s Bank Holiday business.

> Anti-cycling campaigners “spreading misinformation” say councillors, after “factually incorrect and negative” rumours that trees are set to be cut down for new cycle lane quashed

The subject of much acrimony in recent weeks and months, the new two-mile cycle lane on Wimborne Road East in Ferndown, the first part of which was branded “Britain’s biggest bike lane” by the Daily Mail, forms part of Dorset Council’s plan to create “a safe, sustainable transport link between residential areas, local schools, and centres of employment” in the area.

Once complete, the road will feature 4.3 miles of “uninterrupted accessibility improvements” from Wimborne to Trickett’s Cross, linking residential areas with Dorset’s largest employment area, while also adding another section to the active travel route that connects Ferndown, Wimborne, and Poole.

However, the scheme has attracted the ire of some disgruntled residents and business owners, who have branded this final section, expected to cost £7.9m and funded by Active Travel England, as a “waste of money”.

Some locals opposed to the scheme have also been accused of “spreading misinformation” after unfounded rumours emerged on social media claiming that several trees will be cut down during a future phase of construction, allegations dismissed by the council as “factually incorrect and negative”.

And last month, the former owner of Ferndown Fish & Chips blamed the construction of the cycle lane for his takeaway closing, claiming it hit his business takings by 40 per cent – despite the council pointing out that the specific phase of works highlighted by the owner was completed last year, while others suggested the multiple negative reviews online could also be a factor behind the chippy’s demise.

Now, Pure Drop pub’s owner Frances Brabant is the latest local businessperson to join the chorus of condemnation against the Wimborne Road East cycling infrastructure, claiming the latest construction works, which began in July, have put the pub in “survival mode”.

“It will completely destroy everything and bring us back a year and a half in progress,” Brabant told the Daily Echo.

“We’ll be back to square one where I started two years ago and I had to build this business up. I care about my community, I care about my team and my pub, and we’re not able to provide for our customers.”

Brabant said she was first made aware of the works in January, but was only approached by contractors two weeks before construction began on 1 July, when she organised times to enable deliveries to be made to the pub.

However, Brabant claims this arrangement hasn’t been adhered to since the works started last month.

“The first Monday they started one of my colleagues was coming into work and they wouldn’t let her in,” she said.

“I had phone calls from all the delivery drivers saying they couldn’t get here because the road was closed.”

The publican added that Dorset Council is yet to offer Pure Drop tax breaks or compensation for the apparent lost profit.

> “Waste of money” cycle lane slammed, as some locals call for more space for drivers – “because that’s the majority”

However, in response to Brabant’s complaints, a spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “The landlord of the Pure Drop has only recently engaged with us, raising concerns about access during the bank holiday weekend.

“To accommodate concerns raised by the landlord about our resurfacing work at the end of August, we brought forward our surfacing programme to reduce the impact on the Friday night of the August bank holiday weekend.

“Signage was also erected from the start of construction specifically telling patrons of the pub that it is open as usual during the works.”

The local authority added that the work outside the pub is expected to be completed by “the end of the school summer holidays”, and that the requirement for compensation is set out in national government legislation.

> Furious former Ferndown fish fryer fumes at fietsers — chippy owner blames bike lane for takeaway's demise, despite roadworks ending last year and several negative reviews for "dreadful" food online

As noted above, Pure Drop isn’t the first business in Ferndown supposedly impacted by the cycle lane’s construction.

Last month, we reported that Tony Doyle, the owner of Ferndown Fish & Chips, also located on Wimborne Road East, claimed to have enjoyed 11 months of good business since opening the chippy in May 2022, but was hit with a 40 per cent reduction in takings once construction began on the cycle route nearby, which he said led to locals “avoiding it like the plague”.

While some locals had sympathy for the chippy owner’s business woes, others questioned some of his claims, with one Ferndown resident noting on Facebook that there is “no need to blame the cycle lanes when a quick look online reveals some awful reviews for this place!”

Meanwhile, Dorset Council responded to Doyle’s complaints by clarifying that the roadworks in question “finished in November last year” and “at no point was the road fully closed excluding three non-consecutive week-long periods for overnight works starting at 8pm, with only one lane closure, traffic management in place at all times, and numerous routes available for customers to reach the premises”.