Michael Clinkett - Submits letter to Mayor of London in fight to save a community of over 20 years, read the reply for The Mayor of London GLA offices and the email sent by Michael below.
Email Letter > Thursday 12th May 2022 08:43
Dear Mr Clinkett
Thank you for your email in regard to the planning application on 19 - 25 Rotherhithe New Road. I am the planning case officer leading on the case for the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Mayor has asked me to respond to you.
In terms of the process, as you know Southwark Council has resolved to grant permission.
The next stage is that the application has been referred to the Mayor for the Mayor’s decision making stage, where the Mayor can allow the draft decision by the Council to stand; direct the Council to refuse the application; or issue a direction that he is to act as the local planning authority for the purpose of determining the application.
All representations will be reported at the Mayor as part of this stage.
I am very sorry to hear of for the situation you find yourself and your employees in regarding lease expiry. It is important to understand that the expiry of a lease is principally a commercial matter between the lessee and the landlord.
That being said, the Mayor is keen to ensure that the London Boroughs do all they can to support local businesses which may be displaced as a result of development proposals. In this respect I am aware that the new Southwark Local Plan (adopted in February 2022) contains a business relocation policy, P33, that requires a Business Relocation Strategy to be provided where existing small or independent businesses may be displaced by development.
I have been in touch with (local authority officer name redacted) who is the Southwark Council planning officer who is dealing with the application in order to bring your situation to her attention. She recommends that you contact her directly to discuss this matter.
Her contact details are: (email address removed)
Kind Regards
(>local authority officer name redacted<)
GreaterLondonAuthority
Union Street, London, SE1 0LL
Michael and Carmen Clinkett's Email to the GLA
Website Contact Submitted: on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 - 12:55am
Submitted values are:
First name: Michael
Last name: Clinkett
I am a: Member of the public
Where do you live? Southwark
Have you contacted us about this issue before? No
I want to: Invite the Mayor to a meeting
What is your message regarding? RE: Black Owned Business 20 Years - Landlord and Developers
Your message
To whom it may concern
It is with great sadness that I have to write this.
My name is Michael Clinkett and I have run my business for the past 20years on the site of 19-25 Rotherhithe New Road London SE16 2AE it has been a pinnacle of hope for the community as over the years my business has created opportunities as well as services in terms of jobs and apprenticeships for the youth and a safe space for mental health and wellness for the Black Men and youth of our society.
With the knowledge that my lease was coming to an end on 15th May 2022, I was hopeful that because this agreement was made before the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic the landlord and developers would give my business and community consideration in the form of time to prepare to transition.
For the last two years it has been impossible to plan, through lockdowns and reopenings and further lockdown on business operations the time to relocate my five businesses and maintain the community has built was lost.
In any normal situation before COVID I would have accepted the situation and been fully prepared by way of planning to make this transition a smooth operation.
However having to deal with the struggles of a business coming out of the pandemic with now the pressures of landlords and developers I have no choice but to seek support from my Mayor, Government and the wider community.
The landlord will now be selling the site for the developer to demolish my business leaving employees without jobs and a community without their much-needed services as the plan is for my business to be replaced by a block of flats.
This is a very terrible situation because the business and morale of staff were affected due to COVID which took a huge toll financially and mentally. The confidence of workers has only just picked up only for me to break this news to them.
I have been conscious of the effects that this situation is having on my team and I am worried that this situation will take them to where they were mental during COVID so I would appreciate someone who could support me through this.
The period after lockdown now has served as a somewhat rehabilitation period for most people affiliated with the business.
Please treat this with urgency I am just one person dealing with huge companies with money and power which will drown me as this news has already taken its toll on me and my family.
20 years of being an upstanding part of the community are at the brink of being destroyed so I am now calling on our London Mayor for support.
Please find my contact details below.
Regards
Mr Michael Clinkett
(email address redacted)
FYI: Planning information of my soon to be old site of business ops.