Early in the morning a delivery van arrives in the Beardy St Mall to deliver the day's stock to Moxon's Bakery.
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But with Armidale Regional Council introducing a ban on vehicles in the area, the bakery's owner Roger Bourke has said he will close the store in the mall
Mr Bourke did not mince words when contacted by The Armidale Express and asked what he would do when the signs go up to enforce the new regulation.
"I know exactly what I'll do, I'll shut," he said.
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"I can get away with it until my lease is up, and I don't have a very long lease so I will shut the shop, it's very simple."
The business owner made clear his displeasure with the council and suggested it was hypocritcal of the council to stop business vehicles, as council vehicles are often driven into the area.
"Every council vehicle I see in that mall I will take a photograph of it, and present it around to you blokes to put in the paper," Mr Bourke said.
"Because if we can't be in there, then they can't be in there either. And by geez I can count a lot of vehicles in there.
"I'll be very happy to show them the footage I have on my cameras - because their cameras don't work - and their little leaf blower men that come in there and park their trucks in there and run around the garbage bins, they can walk to," he said.
No signs have been erected in the mall yet. And some councillors have said they will try to get the decision reversed at the next council meeting.
The delivery vehicle for Moxon's arrives sometime after 5.30am each morning, and has to be gone before 7pm.
"We drive in front of the NAB bank, turn towards the Newie, unload there, which is a straight roll for the trolleys, straight to the front door, and then we turn around and drive straight back out again."
If they were forced to park in Dangar Street in the dark, Mr Bourke said it would raise concerns about employee safety, with the lack of lighting in the mall area.
Mr Bourke said he had not been contacted officially by the councuil and only found out about the incoming restriction when one of the councillors, Andrew Murat, mentioned it while he was in Moxon's as a customer.
"If they're going to make a decision, they want to know how bloody hard it is for businesses at the moment.
"I'm keeping that shop and the east end mall shop open at the moment for one reason only, with this COVID thing, and that's just to try and keep my girls in a job.
"Those girls are full time, they'd have to come up and work in my other shop, so therefore I have to put my casuals off, and I'm putting people out of work.
"We're just making wages in those two shops at the moment. Landlords have been very good to us with rent, helping us out with our rent, but council's not being any help at all," he said.
The council decision came when councillors voted down a request to allow taxis in at night to drop off customers outside Tattersalls Hotel.
