Local traders have warned that losing “all those parking spaces would be disastrous”.

London Road traders have hit out at council plans for a new puffin crossing, warning it could “seriously impact” their businesses.

Portsmouth City Council recently approved plans for a pedestrian crossing on London Road between the junctions of Shadwell Road and Battenberg Avenue.

The plans have sparked concern among local traders because of the loss of a 40m parking strip on the western side of the road.

Ian Pickup, owner of the Washeteria at 297 London Road, said many traders use the parking strip for deliveries.

Ian Pickup, Washeteria | Toby Paine

He said he has to have deliveries stopped outside his shop because he “cannot carry” them from one of the side roads.

“I have got to stop outside the shop to bring them in,” he added.

“We’ve got elderly people who park out here who they’ve taken no consideration for at all.”

He said that if customers cannot park nearby, “they’re going to go elsewhere”, and noted that the nearby Tesco Express car park has a 30 minute restriction.

Tony Coppola, owner of Excell Fish Bar at 291 London Road, has been trading from the site since 1982.

Tony Coppola, Excell Fish Bar | Toby Paine

“Every week I’ve got two tons of spuds being delivered, they’ve tried to park it down Tescos but the manager says we’re not allowed. So you tell me where they’re going to park.

“Two tonnes, that's one hundred bags. Not only that, I get Just Eat and Deliveroo drivers, where are they going to park?”

Steve Crabtree, owner of Portsmouth Gun Centre, described the impact on his business as “awful”.

Steve Crabtree, Portsmouth Gun Centre | Toby Paine

“To lose all those parking spaces would be disastrous,” he added.

“We get deliveries - some of it’s guns and ammunition, I can’t have a driver park hundreds of yards down the road.

“Most lorries aren't allowed to park up the side roads, they’ll probably use the bus lane that isn’t used by buses.”

Matthew Scarcliffe, a local resident who spoke at the transport cabinet meeting on September 17, said the stretch of road was an accident hotspot.

Mr Scarcliffe said: “Most of the accidents relates to cars and bicycles, they don’t relate to pedestrian except for a few cases.”

He added that a substantial number of incidents involved motorists and cyclists turning in and out of Battenberg Avenue and Shadwell Road, which have “limited visibility”.

Steve Voros, owner of the Radiator Showroom at 326 London Road, said: “I won’t be able to take deliveries in my shop because I’ll have a zig-zag line in front of it.

“The traders across the road, it’s going to seriously impact all their businesses.”

He added that he did not believe the council had listened to local voices and concerns and that “there are far more elegant solutions they could put in”.

(L-R) Matthew Scarcliffe, Tony Coppola, Steve Voros, Steve Crabtree and Ian Pickup | Toby Paine

The decision meeting noted the area recorded 14 collisions between July 2020 and June 2025, including one death and two serious casualties.

In April 2022, a pedestrian crossing the road was fatally struck by a bus. A cyclist and a mobility scooter user also suffered serious injuries in June 2023 and January 2024 respectively.

The council report said this pattern showed a “persistent” risk to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians and “supports the need for a formal, controlled crossing facility”.

Proposed puffin crossing on London Road | Portsmouth City Council

The council said the intervention would improve safety and “connectivity between the residential area to the east and local amenities to the west”, while reducing the “likelihood of unsafe informal crossing behaviour and significantly improve safety and accessibility for vulnerable road users”.

In issuing his decision, councillor Peter Candlish, cabinet member for transport, said: “If I look at the big picture, from that data we have, this is one of the clearest hotspots for accidents we have in the city.

“The location chosen is a very reasonable one, it is backed by evidence, whilst acknowledging the local transport issues have been raised I think that the safety consideration here is going to be my primary concern so I’m going to accept the recommendation.”