A fishmonger is blaming the council’s controversial Mini Holland cycling scheme for the closure of his store, which stood open for 42 years.

Daniel Davies, 43 of Essex, says his father bought the store on Hoe Street in Walthamstow back in 1976, but recent changes to the road systems nearby have dramatically reduced his trading.

Waltham Forest Council’s Enjoy Waltham Forest scheme, or Mini Holland, has involved road closures, traffic redirection and the installation of speed controls in an attempt to get people to ditch their cars and either walk, cycle or use more public transport to get around the borough.

Research the council paid Kings College London to carry out shows the council’s changes have made a difference to life expectancy for children in the borough already – with as much as six days being added on to a child’s life thanks to cleaner air.

But the road system changes have divided commuters and business owners alike.

Mr Davies said: “I blame the closure of my shop a bit on society, everyone is busy with work and nobody has any money. Saturday trade has always been good, but the rest of the week it has been terrible.

“But I do also blame Mini Holland. The council have created an environment where people cannot access you. I’ve had customers complaining about how long it has taken them to get to the shop.

“With the cut-throughs gone, people are being forced on to main roads where traffic is really bad.

“I’ve seen it first hand, buses going past with nobody on them and in the meantime my shop has been getting emptier.”

Mr Davies took over the store from his father and has been working there on and off for the last 25 years.

He added he has recently been handed several parking tickets by the council when parking in the mornings to drop off deliveries at his own shop.

He said: “The council has been a complete nightmare. For a whole year they have neglected the Baker’s Arms area and just haven’t been getting back to me, you get a name and number but nobody ever responds – they’re like ghosts.

“It’s just an impossible situation, I’m working 75 hours a week, getting nothing back with no help from the council, if anything they’re hurting me rather than helping me with all of these parking tickets so now I’ve had to close the shop and am looking for work.”

Mr Davies said his father was “quite upset” when he broke the news to him of the shop’s closing down.

He said: “It is just a very sad thought, my father was upset, but how can you expect customers to get to you.

“I live 19 miles away and the longest part of my journey was always that first mile from the shop door. It took me half an hour to get a mile away and the following 18 miles took the same amount of time.”

Mr Davies’ father used to also run a shop in Leytonstone, which shut in 2001.

He also blames road changes in the area for that closure.

He said: “The council introduced a one-way system and no longer than six months later, my dad had to close the store.

“The council like to spin a story that they helped and invested in the area, but they lied to my dad’s face. They killed off the businesses in that street.

“I’d love to find out how many of the stores that were there in 2001 are still there now.”

Cllr Clyde Loakes, deputy leader and cabinet member for the environment, said: “It’s always disappointing to hear that an independent shop is going to close its doors in the borough. However, we know from the news that town centres and high streets up and down the country are struggling as a consequence of changing shopping habits, due in part to the huge impact of internet shopping the biggest influencer on the shape and wellbeing of our town centres in decades.

“Thankfully though in Waltham Forest we have been bucking that trend. We have seen a 25 per cent growth in businesses over the last five years, particularly of smaller shops and enterprises. Our business teams have been supporting our local high streets, particularly in the Bakers Arms and Hoe Street areas, working with them to encourage customer growth.

“Programmes like Enjoy Waltham Forest are also helping to make the borough’s streets safer and more accessible, and we will be completing our work along Lea Bridge Road this spring. There’s growing body of evidence that ourselves, Transport for London (TfL) and many others have compiled that clearly demonstrates the huge economic value and positive impact of these kind of works.

“Crucially pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users arriving in a local shopping centre spend more in local stores through their more frequent visits than car drivers. By reducing the priority and space given over the needs of cars, you create improved spaces and a better physical environment for the potential customer to linger, browse, and ultimately spend more.”