The controversial project has seen several delays
08:00, 03 Jan 2026Updated 12:21, 03 Jan 2026
Shop owner Selene Bridge says ‘it’s cheaper to close'(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
In June 2025, Rossendale Borough Council embarked on an ambitious project in an attempt to “revitalise Haslingden’s historic town centre”.
But, for shoppers and business owners alike, the use of £2.5m in heritage funding to reimagine Deardengate has done little but destroy the high street at what many believe should have been the busiest time of the year.
“It’ll be the death of Haslingden,” says Charles Clarke as he struggled to negotiate his way along the barrier-surrounded, patchwork pavement leading through the town centre shops with his walking stick.
Known as the Big Lamp Project, the scheme will result in Higher Deardengate becoming one way north from Pleasant Street with vehicles exiting onto Bury Road via Bank Street. But those who braved what they described as a “war zone” this week can’t understand why the work had to be carried out at all.
Charles Clarke(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
And, most significantly, the project’s completion date has been extended several times. Work on Deardengate, which started in June 2025, was initially due to be finished in September but is now not scheduled to be complete until the end of January.
On an almost daily basis, access to individual stores changes, with shoppers forced to cross the “trenches” on yellow boards, while from a distance, visitors would be forgiven for thinking the high street is completely closed. Indeed, many shop owners have chosen to do exactly that.
Pam, from Helmshore, isn’t surprised footfall has fallen. “You wouldn’t dare try and get round here in a wheelchair,” she says. “It’s an obstacle course, it’s horrendous and it’s downright dangerous.”
“The shops will be lucky to survive,” adds fellow shopper Paul. “It’s absolutely dreadful what they’ve done.”
Residents and business owners in Haslingden have faced months of road closures and lack of access to shops(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
‘Devastating’ impact on businesses
Lynn has worked in Haslingden’s iconic Cissy Greens bakery for more than 25 years. She doesn’t mince her words when it comes to the consequences of the roadworks on local business owners.
“One shop’s takings are down 40 per cent,” she says.
“The ironic thing is that they’ve used heritage funding to pay for this. We’ve been here more than 200 years but they’re putting our future at risk. We had to put out a plea on social media asking people to support us.”
Lynn who works at Cissy Green’s
Selene Bridge opened her clothes store Unscripted six years ago. For the first two weeks of the Blue Lamp Project works her takings were down “99 per cent”.
“I was literally sat here all day with no customers,” Selene says. “It was heart-breaking.”
Selene monitors her income on her phone. Since the roadworks began she has seen a 70 per cent drop in takings.
While some businesses, such as the vet’s, a dentist’s and hair salons, have been able to depend on the needs of their customers to get them through the turmoil of the last six months, others, like Selene’s, “rely on footfall”.
Shop owner Selene Bridge(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
Selene says she attended “every single consultation meeting” and has repeatedly voiced her concerns about the roadworks. “I fought and fought,” she says.
“For weeks I’ve been asking for proper signage to let shoppers know how to get to each store but they’ve only just gone up now. Now, though, it might be too late.”
The constantly changing temporary access routes to some shops are bewildering at best. Several provide access to only one business before becoming a dead end while some shoppers have taken to moving the metal barriers in order to slip through.
‘No compensation’
The son of one shop owner says that, despite constant complaints to Rossendale Borough Council, they have been told there will be no compensation for the loss of income.
“We were informed that, unless the council force us to close, we’re not gonna get anything,” he says. “They could have paused business rates or whatever, but they haven’t. They’ve abandoned us.”
Residents and business owners in Haslingden have faced months of road closures and lack of access to shops in the high street(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
Selene, at Unscripted, says the lack of communication has been one of her main issues. “Sometimes we’ve turned up in the morning to find the route to the shop has changed, with no warning,” she says.
Selene is now planning on reducing her opening hours in January when the pavement outside her store is due to be ripped up. “It’s costing us more to open than to stay closed,” she adds.
While the work has been going on, many shoppers have also found that there is nowhere to park, even for blue badge holders. “You’d think that they’d relax things given that it’s nigh on impossible to park but, no, I’ve seen them slapping parking tickets on cars,” says Lynn from Cissy Greens.
Council apology
Just before Christmas, when the works had originally been due to finish, Councillor Samara Barnes confirmed that the completion date had been further pushed back.
In a Facebook post entitled ‘Sometimes being a councillor is about delivering bad news’ she said: “The roadworks on Deardengate are going to be ongoing until at least the 30th of January. The road closure notice has been extended until then and it’s just not going to open before then, no way.
“It’s devastating for the businesses, it’s devastating for us as residents and customers, it’s just really hard work and really disappointing. But we’ve got a job to do now, we really need to dig in and support these businesses, we need to spend our money there, we need to go and check in on them and see if they’re alright.”
The road closure in Haslingden(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
The council says in one of the latest updates: “Previously we have shared that we have been working hard with the contractor, to open some of the carriageway before Christmas, however, they have confirmed that they are not able to.
“The temporary permit to close the road is until the 30th of January 2026 and we are pushing the contractor hard to meet this date and our expectations.”
‘Too little, too late’
The council has since updated its website with additional dates and contact details for project managers. However, for many, it’s a case of “too little, too late”.
“The contractors had two weeks off over Christmas,” Selene from Unscripted said. “I’ve not had that luxury. I’ve had to work my socks off trying to survive this disaster.
“If it weren’t for the loyalty of our customers, and the support of other businesses, I don’t know how we would have all got through this. The council has just abandoned us.”
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