Andrew Dismore

Dear Editor,

When I  met with businesses who are about to be evicted from Premier House, Edgware last week,  I was astounded to hear  how some businesses had been given only a month’s notice to relocate, with notice coming ‘out of the blue’. 

What  is even worse, the landlord’s representative said  the scheme had actually been suggested by the Council’s  planning department itself.  That is a very serious matter indeed and the Council have a lot to answer for. 

The council on the one hand, say they want to regenerate Edgware’s  economy, yet on the other hand they are knocking out its  heart with the displacement of about 160 business and hundreds of   staff, for which the Council must take responsibility.

The businesses are finding it very difficult to relocate, as the consequence of the Premier House closure  has already been to drive up rents of office space in Edgware. If they have to move elsewhere  these displaced businesses and staff will no longer be customers of the other businesses on the high street; and they will lose their own customer base which is mainly local to Edgware.

This short sighted action by the Council represents a planning and economic double whammy for Edgware. The council does not care a jot about small business.

The key   culprit is the Conservative  led Government , supported by Hendon’s  Conservative MP, who changed planning law to enable this development . And why did Conservative Barnet Council unlike other boroughs, fail to secure  an exemption from   this new planning law?

 When I  raised the issue with the  London Mayor asking for assistance, he  passed the buck to the Council. I have yet to receive  a reply to  my letters of last week to the Leader of the Council,  asking for help for these desperate  businesses. It’s time the Council faced up to its responsibilities  to them.

Andrew Dismore

Labour Parliamentary candidate  for Hendon