Ruined restaurant blames Glebe upgrade

A restaurateur has blamed the City’s Glebe Point Road upgrade for forcing him to sell his business, eventually causing him to lose his house.
A note pinned to the door of Cuccina di Lusso, an empty restaurant on the corner of Glebe Point Road and Parramatta Road, reads that the business has now closed due to the “disaster” road works, ongoing since late 2007.
“The front of my restaurant was a Council car park with a skip and bobcat parked in it,” said the owner, Rob Fairall.
“The restaurant was making money before Council settled in. I was forced to pay out and [subsequently] lost my house.”
Empty shop fronts still remain along Glebe Point Road months after the greater part of the street’s upgrade has been completed.
The $15 million upgrade included the planting of 48 new trees, new paving, lighting, landscaping and the undergrounding of overhead cables.
However  business owners say the project, which is still completing some minor work, inflicted staggering losses on them, with many forced to close.
Stores and cafes Cherry Bean, Cuccina di Lusso and GNC LiveWell, all folded in recent months.
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney said “the upgrade will benefit the entire Glebe community, improving the streetscape and preserving the unique atmosphere of Glebe village.”
Although Council planned for Glebe Point Road to be upgraded in sections to minimise disruption, businesses still found that people avoided the area and delivery trucks would not enter the street.
While compensation to shop owners was not granted, assistance was offered by waiving fees for outdoor seating, lowering parking meter pricing, and through marketing and advertising support.
“They were as accommodating as they could be and they took what we said into consideration,” said Sofi Lidergren, owner of a show store on the street.
But Mr Fairall said that any support offered was minute in comparison to the income he was losing during the upgrade.
“My landlord did not offer any lenience with my rent and Council continued to charge me for the street space I rented off them, although I refused to pay.”
“It’s a relief,” said David Gaunt, owner of Gleebooks. “It was the biggest struggle we’ve had in thirty years of business here.”