The owner of a vegan restaurant in Swansea claims she has been forced to close due to disruption caused by nearby construction work. Rachel Jamison, who ran The V Hub in Craddock Street, claimed she was offered thousands of pounds in compensation by the contractor carrying out the work, but had not yet received any money and could no longer afford to run her once thriving business.
When the 49-year-old left her office job and first opened her vegan business in February, 2020, it was a dream come true. With customers in Swansea enjoying her new vegan food and workshops, Rachel expanded and re-opened the cafe in 2022 with the addition of a vegan deli, costing her £2k.
It was that month that work began on the old Albert Hall, also in Craddock Street. The building had been empty since 2007 and private contractor Loft Co was beginning the process of transforming it into an 800-capacity music and entertainment venue with offices. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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At the time, a Swansea Council spokesperson said it was necessary to close Craddock Street, including its exit into Mansel Street, for 12-15 months in the interests of public safety. The council also posted a notice on street furniture in advance as well as a notice on social media in February, 2022, although responsibility for liaising with affected businesses is understood to be a role for the developer, contractor, and/or building owner.
Rachel said she would not have spent thousands renovating the cafe if she had known about the building works far enough in advance and that her business was "booming" at the time.
After works began, she claimed the noise disruption and limited car and pedestrian access soon began to affect footfall at The V Hub. Part of the footpath had closed and the road closure had dramatically lowered the number of passers-by, which usually brought in business. 'Danger' and 'Keep Out' signs were also putting off customers, she claimed. "Anyone looking up from The Kingsway, you'd think there's nothing open up there and the town centre relies a lot on footfall," she said.
With unsightly portaloos outside her cafe, the loud noise of the construction site and customer numbers dropping by the day, by March 30, 2022, Rachel said she had been in touch with Loft Co and explained that she would have to close her cafe due to the disruption.
She claimed the pair met at her cafe and discussed compensation for the inconvenience caused by the building works. The business owner claimed she was verbally offered a monthly payment as well as a larger one-off payment nearing the completion of the development in compensation for the disruption caused.
This offer was also put in writing via an email on April 1, 2022, seen by WalesOnline by Rachel, which stated that Loft Co would offer to pay £2k to Rachel while the scaffolding was up and the crane was still standing, which would be around 9-12 months. It was also stated that a £9k payment would be paid to the cafe owner within 28 days of the site being practically completed. In the email, it was stated that this would be paid 28 days in arrears from signing the agreement.
Rachel claimed she agreed to the compensation offer via email but did not receive an agreement to sign. It was not until June, 2022, that she claimed she received further correspondence suggesting that the delay in payments was due to the lack of an 'oversail' agreement with her landlord. Such agreements are made, for example, when the arm of a crane has to travel above someone else's property. As people own the airspace above their properties, anything passing through that space is legally trespassing, so permission has to be sought.
Rachel said that, from April, 2022, she reduced the days the cafe was open from five days a week down to two, due to loss of profits she blamed on the disruption from the building works. "Tuesdays got quiet so I dropped the Tuesday and Wednesdays and the Thursdays also got really quiet. I was having three staff including myself and I was having to send people home. It was costing me to open," she said.
In August, 2022, she said she closed the cafe and only used the space in Craddock Street for community catering events. She has now handed her notice to her landlord as she claims she can no longer afford to run the business.
"It's my passion and my dream and it's turned into a bl**** nightmare," she said. "My business account is losing £1k every month. I can't afford to keep it going as it is. All I want is what I was promised verbally and in writing, which isn't a lot of money for what's happening but I was happy to accept that."
The frustrated business owner also claimed crime levels had increased since the construction work began and there had been three attempted break-ins at the cafe.
"Swansea needs this project, it's plant-based, sustainable, it's about health and mental health. It's about bringing people together through healthy food. It was a hub for all of these things. It's disgusting now that I can't run this business," she said.
We have approached both LoftCo and Rachel Jamison's landlord for comment.
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