Local business owners have criticised the Council for closing the road on Queensway in Bletchley to make way for a part-time market.
Milton Keynes Council has issued a hard road closure to traffic so that the Bletchley Market can take place every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
The Council says the temporary restrictions have been added to ensure social distancing can be followed, but this decision has been heavily criticised by business owners in the area since the market only runs for three days a week.
Ahmed Butt, Director of The Post Office, says that the road closure has made his financial situation "worse" and has had a "very bad impact on every business" from market traders to store owners.
The road closure means that cars cannot travel directly down the High Street, and as a result must park in limited areas around the vicinity. Traders have called out the measures for being "inconvenient".
Stallholders at the Bletchley Market have also been banned from parking their vans next to their stalls. This has left many market stalls empty as traders move elsewhere, leaving the market with "hardly any stalls" and the High Street "a mess".
It has been reported that The Post Office has lost 40% of its footfall since the road closure was implemented a few weeks ago, and most other businesses have lost up to 50% of their trade.
Business owners have shared their frustrations after being forced to close during lockdown, and now being able to reopen but are faced with half of the main road being closed to traffic.
Raising the issue with a local councillor, Ahmed warned that should the restrictions continue the Council may see more businesses either closing or relocating, "Either I will shut or relocate, as I am sorry [I] cannot carry [on] much longer like this."
He continued: "We all business owners are working day and night to make a living but with restrictions like these it's impossible."
Another business owner told the MK Citizen that the paths along Queensway are "wide enough for people to keep their distance anyway" deeming the new measures unnecessary.
This is not the first time that Milton Keynes Council has come under fire for its social distancing schemes. Shop owners called out the Council for closing Newport Pagnell High Street to traffic which eventually resulted in them scrapping the scheme days later. A similar scheme in Stony Stratford is also under review.
Cllr Pete Marland, Leader of the Council, issued a statement in response to the criticism. He told MKFM: "MK Council is working with Bletchley and Fenny Town Council to make sure Bletchley High Street is safe and as part of wider regeneration plans. I am told the town council debated this issue at length last week.
"The problems for high street retailers predate the COVID-19 crisis, and we all want to see a thriving Bletchley. Only this week we approved £1m in funding for the area and we are developing a bid to attract at least £25m of investment into the area through a town deal. As part of that the Town Board will want to hear and have input from a wide range of community stakeholders, and I am sure traders and retailers will be part of that engagement.”
Some traders are now looking to launch a petition to encourage Milton Keynes Council to reopen Queensway for traffic.
