BUSINESSES near a site earmarked for redevelopment in Winchester fear they could be left out in the cold when construction work starts.

Numbers 38B to 44 Stockbridge Road, Winchester, are being knocked down to make way for a three-storey building with two shops and four two-bed flats. As a result, the citybound carriageway of the road is set to close on Monday, April 7.

Hampshire County Council, the highways authority, said the road closure was necessary to ensure pedestrian safety on the narrow road and pavement. The closure is scheduled for 12 weeks.

Rachel Ingram, who co-owns the Stinky Fish clothing shop with her husband, Rupert, said they were worried because they are one of the few businesses on the side nearest the railway bridge.

Mrs Ingram said: "People will see the road closed and the scaffolding and will not come up as far as me."