A COMMUNITY cafe in Wokingham could be forced to close its doors as repairs on a sinkhole continue to impact takings.
Kimel Cafe, located on Evendons Lane, was created by the Kimel Foundation and provides workplace training for young people with autism.
It opened its doors in February last year, but a fall in passing trade could see them shut their doors as they approach their first anniversary.
“It’s been incredibly tough,” said Nic Lander, the founder of the foundation.
“We employ 17 young people in our projects and we also have another six who come to us from special ed schools on work experience.
“And we just don’t have the traffic that we used to have.”
The sinkhole, caused by a collapsed sewer, appeared overnight on Saturday, October 1, last year as Thames Water started a four-week maintenance and upgrade programme on Evendons Lane
Repairs to the sinkhole were expected to last until mid-December but further issues discovered by Thames Water have delayed the opening of the road.
With the closure in place for more than three months, Mr Lander and his team are counting the cost.
“As a result of the road being closed since September, we are £8,500 behind budget,” he explained.
He said: “It’s tough on us and it’s tough on the kids because they don’t see as many people coming in.
“There isn’t a great deal of signage for us that we’re able to work with and obviously with a three mile cordon to come round it makes it a lot more difficult for people to come and see us.”
In 2016, the National Autistic Society found that only 16% of autistic adults are in full-time paid employment.
But Mr Lander said around 70% do want a job.
If the not-for-profit business was forced to close, Mr Lander fears it would have a significant impact on the mental health of those it supports.
At the time of the incident, a Thames Water spokesperson said the company would be “working closely with the local council and other stakeholders to reduce the impact”.
Mr Lander has criticised the water company for a lack of communication.
“The communication has been poor,” he said.
“They (Thames Water) put up a little notice on the 23rd of December to say ‘we found a new issue’ which they were going to address.
“I walked down to the site a couple of days ago and there was another issue on top of that one and we’re still waiting for confirmation on when it will be fixed.
“If this isn’t fixed very soon then we have got a major problem.”
The cafe has received an outpouring of support from residents in the area and a donation from the Wokingham Lions, but Mr Lander said the cafe is still very far behind where it needs to be.
“We are very thankful to the people who have visited for their support,” he said.
“I know they support us for the right reasons, and we’re thankful for that. And please keep coming along.
“We’ve had a little bit of a lifeline from the Wokingham Lions and they’ve helped us with some money, which was fantastic and so desperately needed. But we’re still so far behind.”
A spokesperson for Thames Water has once again apologised to businesses and residents affected by the work.
They said: “We’re sorry to businesses and local people who have been affected by the road closure and diversion on Evendons Lane, while we continue to repair a collapsed sewer pipe.
“In October and November last year we held drop-in sessions to address any concerns they might have regarding the ongoing work and we connected local businesses with our claims team. This dedicated team is able to address any concerns the owners may have regarding loss of income.”
The spokesperson said that completing the job “safely” remains their top priority.
They added: “In November we advised there may be additional work in January 2023 given the complexities around this job and our work at the site is ongoing as we continue to fix the sewer and ensure the area is safe for road users and residents.
“We will continue to engage with local people updating them on the work.”
Cllr Clive Jones, the leader of Wokingham Borough Council, has previously committed his support to the businesses and offered help with communications to Thames Water.
He said: “Thames Water have told us that they have repaired the sewer and filled four underground voids.
“Unfortunately they have found a fifth underground void that also needs to be repaired and filled. They anticipate all work will be complete by the end of January.”
Cllr Jones admitted the council understands the complexity of dealing with infrastructure and is working with Thames Water to get the repairs completed as quickly as possible.
“We are now in our fourth month and this is reportedly hitting businesses on Evendons Lane very hard, ” he said.
“Officers are meeting regularly with Thames Water, and today (Tuesday, January 17) I met with senior representatives at Thames Water to encourage them to deal with any compensation claims in a timely fashion to help the local businesses.”
