Victoria Mutch has spent the last year looking on helplessly as takings at her Aberdeen clothes shop dwindle.
The businesswoman opened Style For Your Shape on Schoolhill in the summer of 2022.
For the first 12 months, the independent, size-inclusive business blossomed – attracting new fans and becoming something of a success.
But about a year later, bus gates were installed across the city centre, with traders reporting plummeting profits as customers wary of being fined stayed away.
Amid rising concerns over the traffic bans, The Press and Journal joined with local business leaders to call for a Common Sense Compromise this summer.
However, the pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears, with councillors poised to make all of the Aberdeen bus gates permanent at a meeting on Wednesday, October 2.
Ahead of the crunch talks, Victoria has spoken out about her bruising 12 months and revealed she may be forced to relocate.
And the council’s Labour and Tory groups have agreed to put their differences aside to form a united front at the last-gasp summit.
Victoria Mutch reveals ongoing impact of Aberdeen bus gates
Speaking ahead of the vote, Victoria revealed she has watched sales slump across the past year.
She said: “We’ve seen the continuation of the reduction in sales throughout the summer.
“We’ve had lower levels of sales for a 12-month period now, since the traffic measures were introduced, compared to a growing and vibrant previous 12 months.”
The businesswoman explained that pop-up shops in Aberdeenshire and Moray have proved popular – prompting her to consider a move away from Aberdeen city centre.
“The demand and footfall has been high there,” she added.
“It’s making us more inclined to move to these areas from the city if these measures are made permanent.
“Our customers are repeating time and time again they have been put off coming to the city centre as they are confused on where they can go and don’t want to risk a fine.”
What could happen at the meeting?
It was concerns just like these that formed the backbone of the alternate Common Sense Compromise proposals put forward in June.
The council was asked to keep some bus gates, while removing others in an effort to help businesses survive.
During a meeting in July, councillors voted to “ignore businesses and locals” by keeping them in place.
However, there was one glimmer of hope as they ordered officials to conduct studies on the measures suggested by campaigners.
Those studies have now been completed, with elected members urged to keep the controversial traffic bans for good.
At a make-or-break meeting on Wednesday, it seems likely the SNP and Liberal Democrat councillors running the local authority will vote to make them permanent.
However, their political rivals have struck a deal to battle the plans.
Labour and Conservative opposition councillors are poised to join forces in a rare display of unity at the crunch vote tomorrow.
Plea to avoid ‘political point-scoring’ in bid to save businesses
Conservative councillor Ryan Houghton said: “Wednesday’s meeting offers a chance to put past disagreements behind us and work together on a plan strongly supported by the city centre business community – and those who rely on it.
“If the SNP/Lib Dems back our cross-party amendment for a sensible compromise, without political point-scoring, we can signal that the city is open for business and the council has listened.
“We have to get this right. It is not good enough to simply look for reasons to do nothing. Aberdeen deserves better.”
Labour group leader M Tauqeer Malik said: “The Common Sense Compromise proposals are a start to the journey that is required to keep Aberdeen alive.
“This is about the opposition coming together to see if the administration can finally see the damage they are doing to business.”
Traders issue ‘anguished plea for help’
Meanwhile, Aberdeen Inspired chief executive Adrian Watson warned that cementing the bus gates would be “a hammer blow to city centre businesses who have already made it clear they are fighting for their survival”.
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He added: “The Common Sense Compromise Campaign was not a protest.
“It was an anguished plea for urgent help from traders who face permanent closure in the wake of falling footfall and the perception Aberdeen is closed for business.
“Council leaders promised to listen to not only those businesses, but also to the 11,700 people who signed the online petition demanding a compromise.
“This report from officials recommending bus gates – introduced as an experiment, remember – become permanent will be met with dismay, to say the least.”
The business leader says the council needs to “recognise the need to transition to a more sustainable Aberdeen”, while accepting the bus gates “are damaging our city centre economy”.
He asked: “Surely there is a better way forward?
“How many businesses have to fail before the goal of a greener city succeeds?”
Read more:
- Aberdeen bus gates poised to STAY as scrapping any ‘might annoy drivers’
- Your bus gate fines to fund belated council talks with Aberdeen traders hit by road changes
- Revealed: The 20 councillors who ‘ignored businesses and locals’ by voting to keep Aberdeen bus gates
- Claims council ‘could lose £150m rapid transit cash’ by scrapping controversial bus gates
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