Wheelchair users and vulnerable people are turning away from a shopping centre because there is “no disabled access or parking”, according to a BBC report.
BBC online reported that access to the first floor of Beveridge Way in Newton Aycliffe has been limited due to the closure of a multi-storey car park.
It quotes businesses saying they had lost customers because some people “could not make the stairs” to reach their premises. Management of the centre responded that they were aware of “complex matters”.
Users of the facility told the BBC that the town’s only multi-storey car park has been closed for months for “health and safety” reasons and could be demolished.
The car park gave step-free access, via a ramp, to the first-floor businesses including a hair and beauty salon and an Indian restaurant, but customers said they had been forced to either use a set of stairs or rely on a single lift which, it is claimed, is unreliable due to breakdowns and vandalism.
Businesses have urged the complex’s owners to repair the car park or provide a long-term solution if it is demolished.
Stephen Szoboszlai, owner of Stephen Russel Hair & Beauty, told the BBC stylists were having to visit the homes of customers.
He said: “People can’t get up, the stairs are a spiral, we’ve had people in wheelchairs say they can’t get up the stairs – and the lift is often damaged by vandals.”
Khaled Ahmed, who owns the Elachi Indian Restaurant next door, said: “Customers are struggling, disabled people can’t access the restaurant and some won’t come here.”
The BBC reported that Montagu Evans, which runs Aycliffe Town Centre, said there were a “number of complex matters surrounding the enforced car park closure” both on an “immediate and longer term”.
The firm added that it would need “further time” to work with “various parties involved” before making any further statements.
