The Carrington Hotel is a popular place to stay and eat in Shepparton, but since April, its normally full restaurant has barely had a table or two full at lunchtime.
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The roadworks on Wyndham St and Hayes St have all but isolated The Carrington Hotel, causing many confused customers to call to see if it is still open after they were unable to enter the car park or find a way through the fences.
The front entrance on Wyndham St is blocked off from road access, with only a footpath open from the south side of the works.
The side entrance on Hayes St has no pedestrian access, requiring visitors to navigate up to Swallow St and through Victoria Park.
Restaurant manager Ian Young said many of hotel’s diners were elderly and that he was concerned for their safety, particularly at night.
“It’s just ridiculous that they have to go around and around,” Mr Young said.
The hotel often hosts conferences and travelling professionals
Vehicle access is allowed, but the signage and fencing are potentially confusing.
The hotel was allowed to erect a sign on the fences that it had to pay for directing customers to its car park; however, the presence of fences, a ‘road closed’ sign, construction vehicles and a missing section of road surface makes access unclear.
Carrington owner Mary Zurcas said that the scope of the works could have been better communicated and that Hayes St and Wyndham St should have been closed at different times.
Ms Zurcas said she was grateful to the construction workers, who were always willing to move their equipment if asked to.
“We just have to get through it, what can I say?” Ms Zurcas said.
“So be it, it’s got to be done.”
Parklake Shepparton has also felt the effects of the roadworks, with many guests complaining that they don’t know where to turn to access the hotel.
General manager Akash Sharma said the hotel was notified a month in advance but when the fences went up, access to a driveway was blocked and a complaint was made to Greater Shepparton City Council.
Access was restored, but visitors who travel via Wyndham St are still unsure of where to go.
Mr Sharma said that while Parklake Shepparton was luckier than The Carrington Hotel “the inconvenience is there and people are adapting”.
The roadworks on Wyndham St are being conducted one side at a time and are expected to last until the middle of the year.
Roadworks on Wyndham St, Shepparton are disrupting business at the Carrington in Shepparton.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
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