Roadworks worse than Covid, say Lincoln businesses

Thursday, 11 June 2026

Business owners in the Selwyn town of Lincoln say months of roadworks have created trading conditions worse than the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, they remain cautiously optimistic a new council grant could provide much-needed relief.

The Selwyn District Council is preparing a $100,000 support fund for businesses affected by the $10 million Lincoln town centre upgrade.

The upgrade aims to make the area safer, greener, and more welcoming.

The phase one of the work, which started in November, included a signalised intersection at Gerald St and West Belt, a 40km/h slow speed zone to improve safety, cycle lanes and multiple pedestrian crossings, and over 50 new trees to enhance the town's green canopy. Council has budgeted $10.4 million for the work.

iSushi owner Linlin Cheng said the disruption had created the toughest period in her 11 years in business. She has had to cut staffing from three workers per shift to two.

'It's a very hard nine months to go through. You're talking about making no money, or having to put some of your own money into the business just to survive.'

'Covid actually made us stronger because you saw how strong the community was and people came back to support you. This is different. It's not that people don't want to support you. They just can't get in.'

Lincoln Hammer Hardware owner Manny Singh agreed. His business was down about 25 to 30% since the work began.

'Things have been absolutely hard for us. The feedback we're getting from customers is they do want to come to us, but they just can't get to us because they don't know where to go.'

Singh said changing traffic management and access arrangements had created confusion for customers and businesses alike.

'It's hard to keep up with the council plans. One day the street is open, the next day it's closed.'

Despite the challenges, business owners broadly welcomed the council's proposal for a direct grant scheme, although many remain cautious until details are released.

'It's a good initiative by the council to get some kind of compensation, but we don't know how much or what kind of criteria they're using to split that between all the businesses,' Singh said.

The proposed fund followed criticism of the council's existing rates remission scheme, which required businesses to apply through their landlords.

One tenant told The Press they had spent $500 on an accountant to collect all the information needed.

The business owner, who did not want to be named, said he had “expected a couple of thousand dollars because six months had already passed and our business had dropped more than 50%”.

Lincoln landlord Sean Pont funded a small rebate himself while waiting to complete a remission application for his tenants.

Council chief executive Steve Gibling acknowledged the limitations of the existing approach during annual plan deliberations last month.

'The current tool is just the rates remission tool, which is a little bit clunky and doesn't quite fit the bill,' Gibling told councillors.

The proposed $100,000 fund would allow businesses to apply directly to the council rather than through property owners.

Selwyn district councillor Aaron McGlinchy said the landlord-based process was not fit for purpose.

'That's proven to be too difficult, and not very many people have applied,' he said.

Allison Sneddon, an executive director at the Selwyn District Council, said the fund was intended to provide 'practical, direct assistance' to businesses most affected by the construction works.

The grant will be considered for adoption as part of the council's Annual Plan on June 30, with details about eligibility and the application process to be released afterwards.

Councilconfirmed work on stage one of the project was on track to be com­pleted by the end of Septem­ber.

For Cheng, the focus remained on getting through the next few months. 'The road is looking better already,' she said.

'We're just hoping things will get better.'