Mansfield business refunded thousands in tax after footfall decline – but others get nothing

Dave Walker, who owns the Lounge & Bedroom furniture store on Stockwell Gate, said how he had received ‘in the region of two or three thousand pounds’ in business rate relief after applying to Mansfield Council.

It was after the collapse of the Walkden Street Car Park in August – opposite his premises – led to a drop in footfall on the street, likely resulting from the forced closure of supermarkets such as B&M and a supermarket which occupied units on the ground floor of the car park.

But other businesses on the street – many of which are too small to be eligible to pay business rates tax – have been unable to claim any compensation and have not been offered any financial recompense by the council.

Mr Walker explained: “Nobody offered me the tax relief, I had to fight for it and nag for it.

"I am grateful for it, it’s better than nothing, but I would have liked a hell of a lot more.

“My business has been cut in half, trade wise – especially in February (when Stockwell Gate was closed).

“It’s a drop in the ocean, shall we say – I don’t know a better way of putting it.

"It’s worth two or three grand but I’ve lost a hell of a lot more trade than that.”

B&M, the Bolek i Lolek supermarket and the British Heart Foundation charity shop, which all face Stockwell Gate and are contained on the bottom floor of the Walkden Street Car Park building, were forced to shut in August after the top floor of the car park caved in.

Footfall on the street dropped as a result, and businesses such as Mr Walker’s previously spoke in October about how a triple-whammy of planned demolition work – with the old Beale’s building and the Rosemary Centre nearby also in the running for redevelopment – was ‘destroying’ their livelihoods.

Then, in late January, the council closed Stockwell Gate off to pedestrians altogether while they demolished pedestrian bridges which cross over the walkway, after finding they had asbestos in them.

At a Mansfield Council meeting on March 3, council leader and executive mayor Andy Abrahams (Lab) was asked what support had been provided to businesses affected by all the work taking place.

He explained how the council had run a social media campaign, in conjunction with business improvement district Mansfield Forward, to let people know businesses were still open.

He also referenced ‘more informative signage’, information provision, such as alternative access routes including for push chair and wheelchair users, and offers of one-to-one business support from a commissioned provider.

He added that monthly meetings with the businesses and the contractors completing the works have also taken place for direct communications on any ‘changes and developments’, with ‘many challenging questions asked’.

He continued: “We understand that this has been a really challenging time for businesses in and around Stockwell Gate.

“The council has supported businesses immediately affected with NDR (non-domestic rates) and business rates relief, with businesses being given a full nought-percent rate or balances being remitted, given the circumstances.”

But a business only pays business rates tax when the property they operate from’s ‘rateable value’ – an estimate of how much it’d cost to rent for a year – is more than £12,000.

Almost all of the businesses on Stockwell Gate are too small to pay business rates.

But the new owners of the Wheatsheaf pub, which is big enough, said they didn’t know of any relief provided to them.

And those businesses which are too small to pay say they haven’t had any alternate compensation.

Vijay Chadda, owner of clothing shop Collections, said: “Financially we haven’t received anything.

"We’ve been told that there is no money available and we can’t do anything about it either.”

While Collections is further along Stockwell Gate and is not directly in the shadow of Walkden Street Car Park, Mr Chadda says there was still ‘definitely an effect' on trade from August onwards.

He said: “Firstly, because of the boarding up, people got the impression that maybe it was all closed, you couldn’t approach it that way, and secondly, and this is still a problem now, there’s a lot of people coming in to do very negative stories, reporting half the story.”

Mr Chadda confirmed that he had been in ‘four meetings at least’ over the removal of the bridges and was in the monthly meetings referenced by the mayor after the car park closed.

He said: “They were very up front to be fair, I’m not going to knock them for that.

They tried to alleviate everyone’s issues and they probably did what they could in a bad situation.

“With everything happening it was just a perfect storm, so I’m not slating the council in any way because I think they were very informative, up front and didn’t mind answering questions.

"I’ve got to give them credit for that.”

Lyndsey Morgan, co-owner of Tonic Hair Studio, confirmed that her business, on the other side of Walkden Street Car Park, closer to Rosemary Street, had also not been offered any compensation by the council.

After the month-long closure, Stockwell Gate was reopened to pedestrians, with the bridges having been removed, at the end of February.

There is no end in sight for the Walkden Street saga, however, with the car park and immediately-affected surrounding areas closed indefinitely for safety reasons.

The redevelopment of the area is part of what the mayor called ‘biggest regeneration scheme that we’ve seen in our generation’, costing nearly £35m.

James Biddlestone, council chief executive, said: “We understand the concerns of local businesses affected by the closure of Walkden Street Car Park and we appreciate the impact this situation has had on them.

“Supporting our town centre remains a priority and we have been able to offer business rates relief to eligible businesses during this period.

“The council does not own the site and we are continuing to work closely with the landowner and freeholder to achieve a long term solution that will allow progress to be made.

"Our focus is on reaching a positive outcome for the town and keeping local businesses informed as the situation develops.”