Parson X Example

COUNCILLORS ‘BULLIED ME OUT OF BUSINESS’ But when Shef field city council bought the precinct in 2005, Mr Walker said they began forcing out local businesses in order to make way for the new “super surgery” which would house 21 GPs. When Mr Walker tried to negotiate a new lease, the council said it would only grant it if the rent was doubled and backdated to the year 2000 – even though the council did not own the land until 2005. “In order to get us to accept compensation and leave, they said they would apply a rent increase back to the year 2000 and demand that rent back – which would have amounted to something like £50,000, he said. “It was a dirty trick.” Unable to afford the backpayment, Mr Walker said he was forced to accept the councils offer of £50,000 compensation to leave. The sum was about a third of what he was expecting, he said. Four businesses that had refused to settle were handed compulsory purchase orders in August, which will force them to sell, stripping them of their livelihoods. Mr Walker said that the traders had originally been promised new shops alongside a new supermarket to be built nearby on Wordsworth Avenue. But this development has yet to be given planning p ermission. “We are all going without enough money to set up anywhere else. They have bullied us all the way down the line,” Mr Walker said. “All the businesses here have never wanted to stand in the way of progress. If a health centre on this site is the right thing to do for the area, we’re prepared to go - but they’ve got to compensate us right and they haven’t. “It means that after 32 years of trading here, we’re out of business. I’ve got to go away and do something else. In effect I’m out of work. It’s an absolute tragedy.” Mr Walker will remain in his shop rent free until February when he will have to close. “It will be extremely sad to leave. I think what’s especially bad about it is that for 30 years we’ve worked hard in the community, trying to put money back into it,” he said. “We’ve worked with the police on initiatives, we’ve worked with school governors, we’ve had people in on work experience when it first started. “We’ve put a lot back in to help the council and now I just feel kicked. The time comes to support us and they just stick the boot in and that’s the end of it. “We have got a council supposedly supporting small businesses and they have put nine businesses out of business. They claim that a new supermarket is going to create 100 jobs. My suggestion is that there is almost 100 jobs being lost in these nine businesses.” Councillor Bob McCann (Graves Park, Lib Dem), cabinet member for housing, said that the planned development is for the greater good of the community. “It’s never pleasant dealing with these things but I’m satis fied that prop- er procedures have been followed at all times by of ficers. “There’s no nice way of going about a compulsory purchase order, but the system is tried and tes ted and you have to follow the rule s that are in place.” ‘Dirty tricks’ force trader to quit after 30 years A Shef field shopkeeper has accused councillors of using a “dirty trick” to bully him out of a shop ping precinct they had earmarked for a new medical centre. Alan Walker has traded from his shop Discount Motor Spares for more than 30 years on Buchanan Road, Parso n Cross.

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COUNCILLORS ‘BULLIED

ME OUT OF BUSINESS’

But when Shef field city council bought the precinct in 2005, Mr Walkersaid they began forcing out local businesses in order to make way for thenew “super surgery” which would house 21 GPs. When Mr Walker tried to negotiate a new lease, the council said it

would only grant it if the rent was doubled and backdated to the year2000 – even though the council did not own the land until 2005.

“In order to get us to accept compensation and leave, they said they would apply a rent increase back to the year 2000 and demand that rent back – which would have amounted to something like £50,000, he said.

“It was a dirty trick.”Unable to afford the backpayment, Mr Walker said he was forced to ac-

cept the councils offer of £50,000 compensation to leave. The sum was

about a third of what he was expecting, he said.Four businesses that had refused to settle were handed compulsory purchase orders in August, which will force them to sell, stripping themof their livelihoods.

Mr Walker said that the traders had originally been promised new shops alongside a new supermarket to be built nearby on Wordsworth

Avenue. But this development has yet to be given planning permission.“We are all going without enough money to set up anywhere else. They

have bullied us all the way down the line,” Mr Walker said.“All the businesses here have never wanted to stand in the way of

progress. If a health centre on this site is the right thing to do for thearea, we’re prepared to go - but they’ve got to compensate us right andthey haven’t.

“It means that after 32 years of trading here, we’re out of business. I’vegot to go away and do something else. In effect I’m out of work. It’s anabsolute tragedy.”

Mr Walker will remain in his shop rent free until February when he willhave to close.

“It will be extremely sad to leave. I think what’s especially bad about itis that for 30 years we’ve worked hard in the community, trying to putmoney back into it,” he said.

“We’ve worked with the police on initiatives, we’ve worked with schoolgovernors, we’ve had people in on work experience when it first started.

“We’ve put a lot back in to help the council and now I just feel kicked.The time comes to support us and they just stick the boot in and that’s

the end of it.“We have got a council supposedly supporting small businesses andthey have put nine businesses out of business. They claim that a new supermarket is going to create 100 jobs. My suggestion is that there isalmost 100 jobs being lost in these nine businesses.”

Councillor Bob McCann (Graves Park, Lib Dem), cabinet member forhousing, said that the planned development is for the greater good of thecommunity.

“It’s never pleasant dealing with these things but I’m satisfied that prop-er procedures have been followed at all times by of ficers.

“There’s no nice way of going about a compulsory purchase order, butthe system is tried and tested and you have to follow the rules that are inplace.”

‘Dirty tricks’ force trader to quit after 30 years

A Shef field shopkeeper has accused councillors of using a “dirty trick” to bully him out of a shopping precinct they had earmarked for a new medicalcentre. Alan Walker has traded from his shop Discount Motor Spares formore than 30 years on Buchanan Road, Parson Cross.