A number of businesses, including an iconic Devon pub, have reported a significant hit to trade after a key route to their community was severed in winter storms.
Family-run businesses in Torcross have seen income fall sharply since part of the A379 Slapton Line was washed away earlier this year by devastating storm weather that damaged properties and sea defences in the village.
In testimony supporting a vital government bid for funding to repair the road, the owners of the Start Bay Inn and Billy Can Cafe are among those describing the struggles caused by the closure.
The Department for Transport said it understood the storm damage had been “disruptive to many residents” and that announcements about successful funding awards to its Structures Fund would be made in the autumn.
The bid from Devon County Council was submitted in August, and comes as other businesses in the area also face hardship.
The King’s Arms, in nearby Strete, announced its closure at the end of last month, holding an event to mark the sombre milestone. The pub has served the community for the past six years, but a Facebook post announced its last opening day as the Bank Holiday on 31 August. Its closure has been confirmed by someone with knowledge of the pub.
Gail Stubbs, whose family have run the Start Bay Inn since 1977, said the number of meals served were down around a third in March, April and May, and more than a quarter in June.
“With no link from Dartmouth and beyond we have lost a third of our customers,” Ms Stubbs wrote in her submission as part of Devon County Council’s application to the government’s Structures Fund.
“For this year we have business interruption insurance so we are managing to keep our staff.
“We are not sure what will happen next year or if we will have to make redundancies.”
Alison and John Willcock expressed similar challenges, with trade at their Billy Can Cafe “down significantly” and bookings at its Torcross-based holiday let down around a third.
“The damage to the area and in particular the loss of the A379 is having significant negative effects on our businesses as the tourists whom we rely on choose not to visit as they believe we are not accessible and are so badly damaged they chose not to come,” a letter from the Willcock family stated.
“They also dare not brave the diversions over the alternative routes.”
“Our main business is The Billy Can Cafe, and the A379 runs along the front of it, but it is so quiet here and traffic into the area is so limited, as a result our trade is down significantly.
“We estimate this to be c30-35 per cent down and though we would love to be open, so far we have only managed to be open for three days a week and this has only been since June.”
Devon County Council’s bid for nearly £20 million in government cash to pay for the repairs states that 180-243 jobs were at immediate risk from the permanent closure of the road, while reinstating it would safeguard 350 tourism-dependent jobs, around 40 per cent of local employment.
The diversions mentioned by the Willcock family add up to 14 miles for drivers, or 40 minutes, according to county council estimates. That is not just an inconvenience but an estimated £2.7 million annual gross value added loss because of the extra time and cost for businesses in the area.
“The [proposed repair] restores market access for the 288,000 annual visitors who sustain local enterprises,” Devon County Council’s bid states.
“It reconnects 4,200 residents to employment centres, enabling workforce participation.
“Reliable infrastructure underpins the conditions for new hospitality, creative industries and professional services businesses to establish and grow in the area.”
14-Mile Diversion Deals Blow to Devon Pubs and Cafes