Cookham businesses reveal 'devastating' impact on trade following bridge closure

Businesses in Cookham have spoken of the ‘devastating’ impact the closure of Cookham Bridge has had on their footfall and sales.

The bridge has now been closed for nearly four weeks and businesses in the village are already suffering a loss in trade – with many fearing for the future.

The historic bridge was closed to vehicles from Monday, October 16 for 20 weeks for ‘essential’ refurbishment works, which the Royal Borough says will ensure it is fit for purpose for ‘decades to come’.

Adam Garrett, founder of Cookham High Street business Devine Flowers said the impact of the closure has been ‘absolutely devastating’.

“I think all of the businesses are suffering dramatically – between a 30 and 50 per cent loss week on week. We’re 50 per cent down.”

Adam called the bridge one of the ‘main arteries’ of Cookham, adding that it was a ‘ludicrous’ decision for the council to close the bridge at this time and over Christmas, which is their ‘most profitable time’.

He added: “I know that unless we get some sort of major assistance, a good deal of the businesses in Cookham will close.”

Chantal Farquhar, manager of The Little Bookshop, also in the High Street, said that as soon as the bridge closed, sales went down by 40 to 50 per cent.

She added: “If this had happened before COVID, it wouldn’t have been as bad but because everyone’s businesses were decimated for several years, we don’t have that cushion to support us through this.”

Chantal said the shop’s expenses on marketing have gone up and she urged the council to carry out some marketing to remind residents that although Cookham Bridge is closed, Cookham as a whole and its High

Street is still open for business.

She added that the road signs say, ‘road ahead closed’ or ‘access to residents only’, while Adam added there is a sign in the ‘smallest writing’ stating that Cookham businesses are open as usual, but said that it is ‘very insignificant’ and ‘inadequate’.

Over at Sweet Marie’s Party and Gift Shop on the High Street, owner Marie Hawthorne said she noticed an ‘instant drop in footfall’ and subsequent sales, adding in the last three weeks, the business been ‘40 per cent down versus the prior eight weeks average’.

Marie said the shop is missing the passing trade but added that she is planning some initiatives to offset the decline in footfall, including hosting a shopping evening on Thursday, November 16.

Marie added: “It’s frustrating because I’m having to go and spend money now on marketing to just try and keep an even keel.”

In hospitality, Nick Warren, the general manager at the Bel & The Dragon in the High Street said that on the first Sunday following the closure, the business lost 30 covers [customers].

He explained that lunches have ‘taken a big hit’ and added: “We’re already tracking behind what we were on last year covers wise.”

Nick stated that the number of covers was growing prior to the bridge closure, however they are now 500 covers down on October last year.

“Six months is a terrifyingly long time. It’s half a year and it's only going to get worse I think,” he added.

At Cowdery’s of Cookham, a butchers in Lower Road, owner Ged Cowdery said the business has been about 30 per cent down in turnover.

But he added that customers have been providing a helping hand on social media: “Some of our customers have put on social media that us personally are struggling.

“Then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday we were back to a normal level of trade.”

Ged explained: “Since COVID we’ve been struggling. COVID affected us, we’ve lost 40 per cent of our customers since COVID.

“Then to lose another 30 per cent of that is hard.”

MP Theresa May has also visited and shown her support to Cookham businesses and is calling for the council to reinstate the bridge until the end of December and work with businesses to ‘set up a new timetable for the works’.

Cllr Geoff Hill, cabinet member for highways and transport, customer service centre and employment, said: “I think everyone accepts that the work on the bridge has to happen, however the council must do everything they can to ameliorate the effects it will have on local residents and businesses and I am determined to make sure this happens.

“I have really pushed back on the council on the signage. There are legal requirements to put up road closed signs as the road across the river is closed, however I have insisted that the automated signs around Maidenhead say that the High Street is open as well as that the bridge is closed, and I am making sure that the road closed signs will now be accompanied by high street open signs as well.”

He said the council had held four drop-in sessions, as well as letter drops to more than 3,000 homes and businesses to inform them about the works, but he ‘would be interested to talk to the businesses about what more could have been done to make sure that in future we can make sure our comms reach even more people’.

He added: “By making this investment now, we can ensure the bridge is fit for purpose for everyone to use for decades to come and avoid more disruptive work in future years.”

Works ‘remain on track to be completed within the scheduled timeframe’’, Cllr Hill added.