A garage in Beeston has hit out at its landlord following plans proposed to demolish the site and build a four storey student accommodation block.
Beeston Car Centre has been operating, on Broadgate, for 23 years, the business services vehicles as well as selling used cars. If the plans get approved by Broxtowe Borough Council, this means the business will see six staff members lose their jobs and the site will be demolished.
The plans, which were put forward by swish architecture on behalf of the landlord Charles Hall, involve 32 studio flats targeted at students. However, the director of Beeston Car Centre, who had wished not to be named, has expressed how ‘devastating’ the plans are as he could potentially lose his business.
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The 55-year-old said: “I’m absolutely devastated about it. I haven’t slept, it's been awful. You imagine I’ve been there 23 years and suddenly [this happens]. Trouble is across the road they’ve just done 84 flats in the old building which I get, next door to me but one there was an old carpet shop they want to put 54 flats on, I get that because it’s all empty. They regenerate and I get all of that.
“But 32 [flats] here in that area, can you imagine the change over date, what's it going to be? It’s going to be absolutely horrendous. I cannot believe how much support I have had with everyone around the area.People up the road, they've come out, they’ve had flyers all professional, walking the street posting them through the letterbox. They’ve done a petition, an online petition.”
Two weeks ago both an online petition and a written petition which as of March 10, has 416 signatures, were made to ‘save Beeston Car Centre’. On March 9, a group of staff members, local residents and customers took all the signatures to Broxtowe Borough Council.
The petition reads: “Landlord wants to replace this valued service with yet more student bedsits. Local residents need the car repairs, servicing, MOT and second hand sales that the team provides. Sign this petition to Broxtowe District Council Planning Committee. Stand up for the rights of the local community and oppose this planning application.”
The director continued: “We’ve got so many petitions going, we’ve got one online and people are coming to the garage who I’ve never ever seen before and they think it’s disgusting. 28 people came in on Saturday signing it.
“My customers are unbelievable, they’re the nicest customers, they're lovely. They come in and I can’t believe how much support has been. They’re more friends than anything else, because it’s local they can drop their car off and go into Beeston, because there’s no other garages around there."
With the future of the car centre unknown, the owner has spoken about plans to find another garage.
He said: “I’ve looked around but I can’t find anything roadside to do it. I haven’t come up with anywhere yet. To find a garage on a road side with passing traffic, because obviously we sell cars as well, there’s non about. I’ve been looking since it started, looking on what's coming up for sale, going around asking people if they want to sell. I want to make sure I've got something to fallback on.
"Next minute all the shops are going and it’s going to be flats which it just feels like when they go in for planning they get the planning every time. Six staff members, all got mortgages and families, it's absolutely awful. He did say I’ll find you somewhere to move to but he hasn’t come up with anything.
“I was just shocked, you know when sometimes you go into a meeting and you’re ready for it? But when off the cuff when it comes to you. I'm absolutely shocked because he’s always been unbelievable, the nicest bloke you could ever meet, I thought he was.“
65-year-old Justine created the online petition. Justine, is a local resident and a long time customer of Beeston Car Centre. She said: I live on the same road where the garage is and we’ve used the garage for 20 years since we’ve moved to Beeston. Andrew has always been one of those people who goes the extra mile, always doing us favours, he’s a great person to have. Everybody would love to have a garage in the corner, I imagine, but we are lucky to have him there.
“It’s just unthinkable that really, apart from the crowding it would bring in something like 174 student rooms in an area of about 50 square metres. I’m not exaggerating, there are about three developments over four storeys going up on less than a block. That would cause a huge amount of traffic but it would remove an essential service."
The separate developments nearby include plans to build a new block of student flats on the site of the former Kings Carpets shop, on the corner of High Road and Marlborough Road. Developers were successful in appealing a borough council decision to turn down those plans which were subsequently approved.
Planning permission was also granted to use Broadgate House - a former office block - for student accommodation, with 84 beds.
Justine continued: "The garage is the only garage selling second hand cars in Beeston and we’re all worried about sustainability and the need to reuse and recycle things and cars are a huge contributor to landfill. The fact he's keeping cars on the road and selling them at manageable prices, mostly to students in fact, means he’s providing a really valuable service. Apart from the MOTs and servicing that he provides as well, we’ve never been disappointed with anything we’ve bought there or any services we’ve had there. It would be a huge loss to the amenities in Beeston if the garage were to go.
“We’ve got nothing against students but you have to balance that out and this would take a huge hit on community life. A lot of people come into Beeston because they bring their cars to be serviced, they go shopping in Beeston or they go to the cinema whilst their car is being seen.
"I started the online petition and then we went and delivered it today (March 9) to the council offices. So we reckon we have probably 400 unique signatures on two petitions. One petition in the garage on paper and the other petition online. 400 petition signatures collected in less than two weeks.”
The landlord, Charles Hall said: “The business owner was informed of our intentions to repurpose the site in mid 2022 and he was kept informed of progress throughout.
“The planning application is for C4 use student accommodation. The close proximity of the site to the main west entrance of the University of Nottingham along with the strong demand for high quality student accommodation makes it a very suitable and sustainable location.
“As there are many things to consider, a timeline cannot reasonably be expected at this stage. However, whilst I can think of at least seven garages within a quarter mile radius, Beeston Car Centre does provide a good service.
“I will work with the business owner in any way I can justify throughout the whole process.”
Dino Labbate, director of Swish Architecture Ltd, said: "The intention is to repurpose the site at Broadgate for purpose built student accommodation which is in the planning application. Due to very strong demand for high quality student accommodation and the close proximity of the main west entrance of the University of Nottingham this is an ideal location.
"It provides a long term solution to premises which are tired and realistically of limited life span. The design is too fit seemingly into the locality and surroundings bringing a much needed enhancement to one of the main aerial routes into Beeston."
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