Crater full but shops are empty

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday August 3, 2009

Elicia Murray

THE crater that swallowed part of Bellevue Hill is nearly fixed but businesses say their customers are still missing.Crews have been working at Cooper Park where a ruptured water main triggered a landslide on May 28 that engulfed part of Victoria Road, burying two cars, a tree and a power pole.As Woollahra Council and Sydney Water argue over who should pay the $1 million damage bill, shopkeepers say chaotic traffic arrangements have kept customers away.Jacqueline Solomon, who owns Blip Cafe near the intersection of Victoria and Bellevue roads, said people presumed her shop was closed. "People ... see the digging, they see the lollipop men ... and they go, 'Too hard.' " She estimated trade was down 30 per cent.The owner of Bellevue Hill Newsagency, Lisa Yudowski, said business had dropped 50 per cent: "We've had an absolute disaster," she said.

© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald

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