SMALL shopping parades across the borough are to get a boost to help attract more customers during these difficult financial times.

Traders will see improvements to the roads and streets outside their businesses after Ealing Council set aside £500,000.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport and environment, hopes making the streets smarter will encourage shoppers to shop locally.

He said: “We’re continuing to make the improvements to secondary shopping parades at a time when businesses are struggling and to make them more attractive to get people shopping there.”

Shopping areas of mostly independent stores in Dudley Road, Southall, near Featherstone Road Health Clinic and Greenford Road near Kings Avenue, Greenford will see £90,000 each.

Ruislip Road near Rosedene Avenue, Greenford will get £75,000, £100,000 will be invested in Southfield Road near Southfield Primary School, South Acton and £145,000 will enhance the area outside Greenford station, in Oldfield Lane North.

Money will be spent on new street benches, bins and cycling facilities, improving street signs and pedestrian access, tidying overgrown vegetation and updating parking and loading bays.

In Ealing Broadway, £800,000 secured from the developers of Dickens Yard has been funding similar improvements in Ealing town centre. Quality Yorkstone will be used to repave Longfield Avenue when building is complete to complement improvements already made in Bond Street and outside the St George marketing suite in Ealing Broadway.

Further improvements will be made outside Christ the Saviour Church and Ealing Town Hall.

The six-month works are due to commence on the small parades in September.