Shopkeepers on a thriving Yorkshire high street are facing a potential five-month closure of a main access road, sparking fears of financial ruin for small businesses. The disruption is part of the massive Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), a Network Rail project to electrify and improve the railway between Manchester and Leeds.
Village Gateway Faces Demolition
The works, scheduled for 2028, include demolishing and replacing the existing Grade-II listed bridge that carries Oldham Road (A670) over the railway line at Greenfield. This bridge is the most direct route into Uppermill from Oldham, Tameside, and Manchester. Its closure for an estimated 20 weeks would force all traffic onto narrow alternative lanes, Ladcastle Road and Dobcross New Road.
"It's like gutting the high street," said Sharon Kelly of Windsor Butchers, who only recently learned of the plans. Like many in Uppermill, her business depends heavily on weekend tourist footfall. "I don't even know what the impact would be on us, in money terms," she added.
Businesses Warn of Existential Threat
The potential loss of custom and access has left independent retailers deeply concerned. Felicity Mistry, managing director of The Cake Kitchen, stated bluntly: "I'd probably have to close down." She explained that, as a small business, she does not have five months of savings to survive such a drop in trade.
Hannah Stratton, manager of Lucy Cobb boutique, highlighted the critical importance of effective signposting. Referring to previous weekend closures for preliminary TRU works, she said: "We saw a lot less people in the village... We wouldn't survive that for five months."
Bekka Simpson of Suki's Wardrobe recounted how misleading signs declaring the 'high street closed' during a bank holiday weekend cost her shop over £1,000 in lost intake. "The whole village was dead," she said.
Calls for Clarity and Better Planning
A recurring complaint from business owners is a profound lack of information about the project's specifics. With the works two years away, they stress the need for advance planning to mitigate the impact.
Local councillor Helen Bishop, who organised a meeting for business owners, emphasised the need for inclusion. "Now is the time we can still have an influence," she said. "We aren't being included in the planning conversations to the level that we want to be. This summer was a botch job, we don't want that to happen again."
Mark Ashton, Sponsor for the Transpennine Route Upgrade, acknowledged the concerns. "We understand how important Saddleworth's businesses are," he said, pledging to work with Oldham Council on maintaining access and ensuring clear signage to communicate that businesses remain open.
While locals support the long-term benefits of the rail upgrade and a modernised Greenfield Station, the immediate prospect of a prolonged road closure has cast a shadow over Uppermill's bustling high street.
