Williamson Hardware in Broomhill threatened

[IRONMONGER 10]

I would think Williamsons would have a good legal case to prevent the landlord from refusing to renew the lease??

If they are using the "redevelopment" clause then I would have thought it would have to be changed from A1 to something different? otherwise it it refurbishment not redevelopment.

 

After saying that, the problem lies with the classification system itself, the whole thing needs bringing up to date to make it relevant to todays needs.

 

Saying "we want a hardware shop" will not bear any weight on the decision, as long as the new occupant adheres to the panning use it will go ahead.

 

A sensible approach for planners would be to split A1 into diverse retail categories to ensure we don't end up losing variety.

 

 

http://www.p4l.co.uk/guidtocomuse.html

 

On a different note, I have boycotted that parade since they started charging to park on the roof. I got a fine because I entered my reg. number wrong and it peed me off so much I made a stand. The thing is, I thought if enough people did the same the tenants would pressure the landlord to remove excell parking. Probably naive on my part.

As tenants don't you think that we didn't try to fight the landlord tooth and nail to stop Excel running the rooftop car park. It has been disastrous for us.

The general public have no idea what commercial tenants have to face. 15 years ago we were screwed for something like £15,000 ( just our share) to resurface the car parks.

Commercial tenants should have similar protection in law as residential tenants.

[adamf 10]

Can I just say I have read the objections on the planning site and heartfelt though they be they don't actually address an objection to the plan which fits in with the planning regulations.

 

Saying you want to keep independent retailers is not enough you need to have a planning reason for objecting (such as parking ect) there is no room for sentiment in the planning department and it will fall on deaf ears.

 

Unfortunately this is true. And businesses with deep pockets can just threaten the Council with costly appeals so they get what they want.

[IRONMONGER 10]

Unfortunately this is true. And businesses with deep pockets can just threaten the Council with costly appeals so they get what they want.

The outcome looks bleak then.

[GodStar 10]

The success of the concept of swapping Williamsons with Sainsbury is more down to the legal side of things than whether the landlord gets the planning permission- realistically this is pretty much a given.

Whether the landlord has the right to refuse a new lease to the existing tenant is more important. I assume Williamsons have taken legal advice, and if they had a case worth fighting (and the means/will to fight it) they would do so.

Getting the permission in place could help strengthen the landlord's case to kick Williamsons out if it goes to Court, ,but just because they'll get the planning permission, doesnt in itself mean the end for the tenant.

[IRONMONGER 10]

Williamson Hardware threatened closure

 

Press Release ; 7th June 2012

 

Williamson Hardware has served the needs of the people of Broomhill and beyond for 52 years. They are a caring employer and their staff are their biggest asset. They currently have 13 staff members, some of whom have been with them over 20 years. They employ two generations of one family, three generations of another and currently have two generations of Williamsons working in the shop

. After enduring the ups and downs of five decades they are now faced with a landlord who would like to get them out as he has signed a pact with Sainsburys. The landlord intends to refuse the renewal of the lease in November 2013 on the grounds of redevelopment. To this end the landlord has put a strange plan to the council which is essentially the construction of internal walls to form a small retail unit in the front quarter of the existing unit, this does not appear to constitute a redevelopment.

The main purpose of applying for planning permission appears to be to get this issue into the public domain in order to pressure Williamsons to surrender their lease or to destroy staff confidence and cause the firm to collapse thus presenting the landlord with a clear path to achieve his plan.

Other shops in this parade are fearful for their future if this plan goes ahead, for example the newsagent ; Martins, the supermarket; Spar, the bread shop; Cooplands and in the area there are other small shops under threat such as the butchers and the fruit shop.

.Williamsons have received a flood of support from their customers and already 47 objections are registered against the plan. Unfortunately objections on the grounds that the shop will be sorely missed are not valid for the planners. If the supporters wish to make a difference the objections should be made on business grounds; damage to the area by increased traffic flow and danger from increased volume of traffic, lack of infrastructure etc. Another reason is that this is bang in the middle of the Broomhill Conservation Area.

.It is difficult to understand what vision the landlord has for this shopping centre. Williamson Hardware has a lot of public support, a fantastic range of products, helpful and knowledgeable staff and as usual the message is “use it or lose it”.

[GodStar 10]

Williamson Hardware threatened closure

 

Press Release ; 7th June 2012

 

Williamson Hardware has served the needs of the people of Broomhill and beyond for 52 years. They are a caring employer and their staff are their biggest asset. They currently have 13 staff members, some of whom have been with them over 20 years. They employ two generations of one family, three generations of another and currently have two generations of Williamsons working in the shop

. After enduring the ups and downs of five decades they are now faced with a landlord who would like to get them out as he has signed a pact with Sainsburys. The landlord intends to refuse the renewal of the lease in November 2013 on the grounds of redevelopment. To this end the landlord has put a strange plan to the council which is essentially the construction of internal walls to form a small retail unit in the front quarter of the existing unit, this does not appear to constitute a redevelopment.

The main purpose of applying for planning permission appears to be to get this issue into the public domain in order to pressure Williamsons to surrender their lease or to destroy staff confidence and cause the firm to collapse thus presenting the landlord with a clear path to achieve his plan.

Other shops in this parade are fearful for their future if this plan goes ahead, for example the newsagent ; Martins, the supermarket; Spar, the bread shop; Cooplands and in the area there are other small shops under threat such as the butchers and the fruit shop.

.Williamsons have received a flood of support from their customers and already 47 objections are registered against the plan. Unfortunately objections on the grounds that the shop will be sorely missed are not valid for the planners. If the supporters wish to make a difference the objections should be made on business grounds; damage to the area by increased traffic flow and danger from increased volume of traffic, lack of infrastructure etc. Another reason is that this is bang in the middle of the Broomhill Conservation Area.

.It is difficult to understand what vision the landlord has for this shopping centre. Williamson Hardware has a lot of public support, a fantastic range of products, helpful and knowledgeable staff and as usual the message is “use it or lose it”.

 

If the landlord intends to refuse a new lease on the grounds of redevelopment they need to demonstrate (to the Court if Williamsons take it to Court) a real intention to do this. This is what the planning application will be for. Whether the works they are doing is enough to constitute 'redevelopment' in the context of the law is another matter. Im no lawyer but I doubt it.

[August 10]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but when the Co-op bought out Somerfields they had to sell the shop in Broomhill because they already have a shop close by in Crookes. Surely the same rule must apply to Sainsbury's who also have a shop in Crookes?

[Bilge 34]

Good luck to Williamsons, it's a good shop and it would be sad to lose it. However, the two supermarkets in Broomhill currently are absolute garbage so I can see why Sainsburys would be welcomed by many. I would use it myself if there was one there. Most people passing through don't want to go to 6 different shops to buy a carrier bag full of food. That model belongs in the days when women were sat at home all day with nothing else to do but go shopping. Britain's not like that any more.

 

.It is difficult to understand what vision the landlord has for this shopping centre.

 

I agree with that. It's a hideous building and must have cost quite a bit in Poulson-style backhanders when it was allowed to be built. It must have looked amazing on the artist's impressions. It is well overdue for a major makeover. But I suppose the landlord doesn't want to spend anything on it.

[rad 10]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but when the Co-op bought out Somerfields they had to sell the shop in Broomhill because they already have a shop close by in Crookes. Surely the same rule must apply to Sainsbury's who also have a shop in Crookes?

 

Those laws seem to apply to every company except Sainsbury's and Tesco - possibly because they have 'Local', 'Extra' etc shops which might all be seen as 'different' to get round it.

[Womerry2 10]

Given the size of the shop, it would be a Sainsbury's Local - and going by the Locals on London Road and Ecclesall Road, it would be considerably more expensive than the main Sainsbury's, with a much smaller range and a disproportionate amount of space devoted to alcohol, fizzy drinks, crisps and sweets and ready meals. I shop at Sainsbury's; it's by far my favourite supermarket, but I don't think Broomhill (and the rest of us) would benefit from a Sainsbury's Local at the expense of Williamson Hardware. I hope that writing to Sainsbury's to explain why we value Williamson Hardware so highly will help to avert the threat.

[mr_arc 10]

I wrote to our local councillors regarding this. Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed (Lib Dem) has replied and has submitted his objection to the application.

 

No response from the other councillors yet.

[Bloomdido 10]

I am running out of supermarkets I can shop at. Asda is out because it is part of Walmart who treat their staff terribly, Tesco is out due to the 'workfare' fiasco and now Sainsburys.