Gants 'hell' goes on as traders bid for rates cut
 | | GANTS HELL: Roundabout roadworks are set to last another seven months |
TRADERS in roadworks-blighted Gants Hill are uniting in a bid for business rates to be cut.
Customers are steering clear of the area while workmen continue to overhaul Gants Hill roundabout.
Shopkeepers face another seven months of misery to add to seven months of disruption already suffered.
The area has been described as a "ghost town", with drivers and commuters avoiding the gridlocked route, leaving shopkeepers near the soon-to-disappear roundabout struggling to make ends meet.
Now a group of traders have decided to appeal for a reduction in their "hefty'' rates.
David Kenton, who owns Kentons restaurant, Woodford Avenue, Gants Hill, said: "We have definitely seen a fall in business because people are reluctant to come here.
"We're not the only ones being hit hard and we think it's only fair that we're compensated."
A bid for compensation from Transport for London - which is paying for the works - failed in September when chiefs said they would not stump up cash.
But shopkeepers believe an appeal to the Valuation Office Agency could bear fruit.
Under guidelines for appeals, they have two options:
? They could argue there is major refurbishment work going on.
But reductions will only be considered if improvements and structural works make the property - or part of it - incapable of occupation.
? Traders could also argue the area has deteriorated. This applies if there has been a material change to the area since the revaluation date, which has affected the property's rental value.
Jeeva Balaramali, who works at Gants Hill Super Foods, Woodford Avenue, said firms were suffering badly.
He said: "People don't want to come here because there's so much disruption. I'd be surprised if the works are completed by September."
The progamme, aimed at regenerating the area and transforming its road network, was originally due to be completed by the summer.
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