Royal Hotel part owner Peter Dean on Station Street class action and Wingecarribee Shire Council

He says the Station Street works by Wingecarribee Shire Council cost him 50 per cent in trade over three months. And he's preparing to join a class action with other affected businesses.

READ MORE:

"It's been worse than COVID-19," Mr Dean said.

"Some weeks I was down between $40,000 and $50,000 on what I was doing at the same time last year."

He said the communication between the council and local businesses was almost non-existent.

"We got letters but it didn't really explain the effects of the works they were planning to do," Mr Dean said.

"You got letters saying: 'This is going to happen.' But at no time did we know that it was going to be no parking or anything like that.

"I was under the impression that the road would be pulled up but that the rear access carpark at the train station would remain open," he said.

Mr Dean said the council workers parked their trucks, Portaloos and other equipment in the small space remaining.

He said the sudden loss of 50 per cent trade over three months was not something he could have anticipated.

"The only other affect we have ever had was the COVID-19 pandemic where we were shut 100 per cent," Mr Dean said.

"This was worse than COVID-19 because we still had all our staff but we had to let them go and then the staff had to find other jobs so it actually hurt us even more."

He said the Royal was just now getting back on track.

"Because we are getting busier again now that the road has reopened," Mr Dean said.

Rumours of a class action being brought against the council, by affected businesses on Station Street looking to recoup their losses, began circulating earlier this year.

Southern Highland News approached a number of businesses for comment but none was prepared to go on the record; until now.

"Some weeks I was down between $40,000 and $50,000," Mr Dean said.

"Who's going to give that back to me?"

The Royal has since been forced onto payment plans to pay down debt.

"We're actually looking to get a cash-flow boost from our bank," Mr Dean said.

"That's for a business that had zero debt. We had literally just paid it all back from COVID-19. We had one more payment of $9000."

He also said that if he had a dollar for every time the workers used his bathrooms he would have only been down 25 per cent.

"They used all our facilities all night; coming in and disturbing our diners to the extent that I finally had to phone the foreman and ban them."

Mr Dean is planning to join the class action.

Southern Highland News put Mr Dean's claims to the Wingecarribee Shire Council and received a copy of three letters sent to businesses and residents of Station Street.

"It's not correct to say that no notice was given," a spokesperson said.

"Members of the council's project delivery team visited all businesses in the lead-up to engage with the businesses and notify them of the works."

The spokesperson said the works affected between eight and 10 on-street parking spaces.

"It is important to note that in terms of patronage the Station Street works only affected the rear entrance of the hotel and not the main entrance," she said.

The council also responded to claims about staff misusing the hotel's amenities.

"At no time did any council staff enter the Royal Hotel other than to drop off notices notifying the business of intended works," the spokesperson said.

"Contractors undertaking works on behalf of the council did regularly attend this business as patrons, for food and beverage.

"When works continued at night female traffic controllers did on occasion use the toilet facilities at the hotel," she said.

The council spokesperson said that once frustrations were raised by hotel staff about contractors using the hotel toilets the matter was addressed at a tool box meeting.

"It was further reinforced to all workers that workers were only to use the provided Portaloos on site," the spokesperson said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters