Traders 'given hour to leave' shut shopping centre

Traders at a city shopping centre that was suddenly closed have said they were given just an hour's notice before being evicted.

Businesses at The Square, on Priory Queensway in Birmingham, were told to shut their doors indefinitely on 25 March.

Sammy, Manager of Sabina City hair shop, said: "We got the notice at six o'clock and were told to close at seven."

A spokesperson for the site, owned by real-estate firm Hammerson, said the decision was taken with the health and safety of tenants and the public in mind.

At the time of the closure, The Square was home to more than 30 businesses, including The Oasis market.

Sammy described feeling "empty and meaningless" after having "no choice" but to let go of eight out of 13 workers at the shop, which specialised in beauty products for afro hair types.

"We are an independent business, we couldn't afford to keep them with such notice," he said.

"Big orders had been put in for stock, so now we have stuff in the store that we thought we'd make profit from but instead we're now stuck with that bill."

Sammy said the stressful situation was made worse when he discovered the landlord of the building changed the shop's locks.

"We got an alarm alert saying someone was trying to break in, but when we got there, bailiffs were changing the locks," he said.

Matthew Eason, the landlord of The Grey Lantern pub, described security dog handlers being present when the sudden eviction notice was served.

He was handed a letter at 17:30, asking him to vacate by 19:00, he said.

"Our tenancy agreement says we will have three-months notice to leave, but we were given an hour and a half," he added.

Both businesses said they renewed tenancy agreements with the landlord in December, a decision they now regretted.

"If they knew this was due, why did they make us agree to staying here only for them to kick us out?" Sammy said.

Mr Eason said he had been able to move six staff to a sister site, Glamorous night club in the Gay Village, but was unsure how sustainable it would be.

"Glamorous is supposed to be closing for a month for a refurb, that's now our next problem," he said.

"Now I'm going to have to think of another alternative," he added. "We are looking for a new home and I'm determined to."

Mr Eason said communication with the landlord about access had been good, but details about why the centre had been closed were "a bit iffy."

A spokesperson for the site, known as Priory Square, previously said the centre was closed for health and safety checks, including a fire assessment.

They told the BBC taking swift action was the right thing to do.

"Our decision to close Priory Square was taken with the health and safety of tenants and the public our priority.

"We have continued to act in good faith, always communicating with occupiers as soon as practicably possible."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said it was aware of the closure and had been in contact with the shopping centre's management to "understand the situation".

"The decision, with which we agree, was made with the safety of the public and traders in mind. We will be ready to assist if needed."

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