BELEAGUERED Broad Street retailers will be boosted by a raft of support from the city council.

Footfall has drastically fallen along a section of Broad Street after the Poundland building, owned by Crown Estates, was at risk of partial collapse.

It comes as independent shop owners along the section between Angel Place and Deansway played football in the empty streets this morning (Wednesday).

It is one of the city centre’s busiest shopping streets with the road closure coinciding with the city’s Victorian Fayre.

The fayre is one of the busiest times in Worcester’s calendar, and the independent traders still open there are concerned about the potential loss of business.

A free funfair ride will be placed in lower Broad Street, next to the affected traders, to entice visitors and shoppers to visit that part of the city centre.

The council will subsidise the ride so children can enjoy it free of charge.

Financial support will also be given to the lower Broad Street businesses that have not been legally required to close by the council using Covid business grants funding from the Government.

Worcester BID (Business Improvement District) is putting signs in place in the area to make shoppers and visitors aware that the businesses are still open.

Pedestrians can reach lower Broad Street from Angel Place through CrownGate shopping centre.

Council leader Cllr Marc Bayliss said: “The road closure has hit Broad Street traders hard, and with the Victorian Fayre running from December 2 to 5 the timing couldn’t have been worse, with the risk of them losing some of the Christmas sales they would normally enjoy.

“We have pulled out all the stops to help them, and I hope these steps will encourage shoppers to make the most of what these traders have to offer and that the businesses will appreciate the financial support we are providing.”

The managing director is also dealing directly with Crown Asset Management and seeking urgent assistance to support the independent traders affected by the road closure.

The building at 53-54 Broad Street, recently home to Poundland, is owned by the Crown Estate and has been undergoing a programme of repair work since May.

The city council was alerted by the building contractor on Friday evening of a potential risk to public safety posed by the Grade II listed building, and worked with Worcestershire County Council to put a road closure in place.

The fascia of number 53 dates back to 1820 while number 54 dates back to the mid-17th Century.