Family newsagents is being 'forced out' after 50 years by Vivid

Popular community shop Greenways Newsagents Ltd has been given just three years left as landlord Vivid prepares to turf out businesses to redevelop the Winklebury Centre.

It is understood the housing association wants to modernise the building to coincide with the Manydown development which will see more than 3,500 homes built nearby.

Barry Dodds and Jackie Lambell have been running the much-loved shop since their father passed it on to them twenty years ago.

Jackie said: “Fifty years we have put into this business as a family and as a community - and now they want us out. When we go, I don’t know what the local community will do.”

It comes just months after The Gazette revealed Winklebury Cycles, based in the same block, was evicted, leaving residents outraged.

Mike Shepherd, director of new business and development at Vivid, said: “We understand developments can cause feelings of uncertainty for business owners and residents within the community.

“We are working towards submitting our planning application in spring 2021 and will meet with each of the business owners and residents early in the new year.”

Councillor Angie Freeman, representative for the ward, said it was “shocking” and accused Vivid of finding “any excuse” to get businesses out.

The corner shop has been in the family since it was opened by their dad Peter Dodds in 1971.

He owned a number of other Winklebury businesses over the years, but today all the Winklebury Centre units are owned by Vivid.

Jackie said:  “Ever since day one we’ve had this hanging over us. As soon as we were in, they were talking about closing it all down. We haven’t been able to enjoy the business.” 
Talking about the uncertainty she has felt over the years, Jackie said: “We can’t plan as a business.” 

"Winklebury is losing everything" 

She said one example was needing to swap phone providers, but not being able to commit to the minimum contract lengths.

Jackie was emotional as she talked about the loss of shops like hers to the local community - many of whom have known her since she was a young girl living above the store and helping out in her father’s shop. 

She said: “A lot of our regular faces have known us since we were children. It’s all that Barry and I have known. When we go, I don’t know what the local people will do.”
Jackie said that she has been told the centre will be replaced with flats, with some and that there’s talk of a health centre and chemist, mostly for new Manydown residents.

She continued: “Winklebury is losing everything. They have lost their second school. The football ground is the only good thing. It’s like they think, we’re just going to use Winklebury for problem residents, so the loving families with young children can’t even let them out to play.”

She added that the shop has previously sought legal advice: “We spent thousands fighting them, and just weren’t willing to pay any more money. The community spirit of the pandemic, and increasing necessity of local shops, has sparked a renewed determination in the family not to go away quietly. 

“We have found lots more customers coming in; people who didn't even know we were here were discovering us on their local walks,” said Jackie. 

“Lockdown has had a positive effect, people don’t want to go into town this year,” said Jackie. 

“We have a more personal approach. We care about our community, our staff.”

The shop has a “chat chair”, where people will come in and sit and have a cup of tea. 

“Seeing the support of the community, we want to fight a bit more. We see how much we mean to them,” said Jackie.

The family has been in touch Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke, who says she has been involved with plans for the regeneration of the centre since the beginning. 

Mrs Miller said the developer needed to “make it a priority” to make the existing businesses a part of the new development. 

She said: “The services offered in the Winklebury Centre by the shops, businesses, doctors surgery, pharmacy, dentist and hairdressers are an important part of the daily lives of local residents. The newly rebuilt Winklebury Centre, with a brand new GP Surgery at its’ heart, will be more important than ever.

“To best support the community, the regeneration plans need to make it a priority to support existing businesses who want to be part of the new Centre when it is built. After meeting some of the owners who do want to be part of the future Winklebury Centre I have taken their concerns direct to Vivid, the team responsible for the planning and building works. It clear that Vivid understand the importance of getting this right and I understand they will meet the business owners again in the coming weeks to ensure everything is being done to support them.”  

But ward councillor Angie Freeman (Labour), said she is concerned that  Vivid aren’t considering the needs of their tenants.

“Vivid have not exactly been the best at dealing with people. I know that Barry has had issues for years.“It seems to me they seem to be trying to squeeze out people so that they don’t have to pay the moving costs. I am not very impressed with the way Vivid dealt with things. Their plans leave a lot to be desired,” she said. 

“The communication from Vivid has been appalling. The dentist surgery found out the whole area was being regenerated through a public consultation! They signed their lease a few years ago and they weren’t told when they signed their lease that there was a possibility of them having to move, and now they have all these extra costs. Vivid has practically ignored them. 

“We had the issue with Gary from the bike shop a few months ago - it seems they are finding any excuse that they can to get people out.

“It’s quite shocking how Vivid is behaving. They are not listening to people and they show a blatant disregard for this community, it’s not good enough quite frankly.”

Cllr Freeman emphasised how important local shops like Greenways are to the community.

She added: “Winklebury is really community-minded. Barry and the team have always gone above and beyond and it will be terrible to lose them.”

“They are good for the community and they have been there for years. I remember going to buy stuff from John Burtons with my mum when I was a kid, and I’m nearly 50! They are doing really well and they came into their own in lockdown.

"We have a top-heavy, ageing population and they need the small local shops that look after them because they can’t go in to town as often. These people in the community are important. They’re the ones that will notice if things are not ok with someone. 

She added: “We value our local family businesses and to see them being squeezed out because Vivid think they can maybe make some more money with more commercial businesses."

Mike Shepherd, director of new business and development at Vivid said: “We understand developments can cause feelings of uncertainty for business owners and residents within the community. We are working towards submitting our planning application in Spring 2021 and will meet with each of the business owners and residents early in the New Year.

“We launched the Winklebury regeneration project in February of this year, and we’ve received a high degree of support for our regeneration proposals. We’ve been working with community groups, other local stakeholders and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to understand what they would like to see in the new centre.

"We’ve also been in regular contact with individual retailers and we encourage them to speak to us directly if they have any concerns about the plans. Over the coming months we will be working up the planning proposals for the new centre, which will feature sufficient high-quality and well-located space for any of the retailers who wish to return.

“The regeneration project in Winklebury will bring much needed long-term improvements, including opening up green space that was formerly inaccessible, improved health provision, a new pre-school and a retail centre that meets local needs, allowing residents to shop local, whilst also reflecting the changing retail landscape.”