Traders fear the planned closure of public toilets in a beleaguered Cardiff shopping centre will have a "disastrous" impact on their businesses. The toilets in Queens Arcade are due to permanently shut on May 14 after the loss-making complex was placed in property receivership.
Heriberto De La Cruz Diaz, who owns the centre's Medusa Barber shop, has started a petition calling for the decision to be reversed. In one day 10 traders have added their names to the campaign, which argues the closure would hit footfall as well as hampering elderly and disabled shoppers. Mr Diaz, 37, believes the move is symptomatic of a wider failure to "welcome" people into Queens Arcade.
In February it was announced that Queens Arcade was in receivership after the past decade saw net operating income drop from more than £3million a year to an annual deficit in the hundred of thousands of pounds. Asset manager Addington Capital has now told WalesOnline the £100,000 annual cost of running the toilets "cannot be sustained" with so many empty units. "We recognise that the WCs are well used, but there are alternatives in the St David's centre and we do not believe that this closure will stop shoppers coming to shop in the Queens Arcade and Cardiff generally," said its spokesman.
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Among those to have joined the petition is Rugby Heaven shop manager Sue Haycock, 56, who said: "One hundred percent there are not enough public toilets in the city centre. There used to be one in the Hayes, there was a toilet block outside Debenhams. I get from the centre's point of view that they may have done surveys, but if you keep closing the facilities you are forcing people away."
Cardiff Council's community toilet scheme in the city centre includes public loos at Cardiff Market, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff Central Library and the University of South Wales. There are also toilets in the St David's shopping centre. But Mr Diaz believes the closure of those at Queens Arcade would have a "disastrous impact" on footfall for the nearest St David's businesses as well as the shops that directly neighbour the facilities.
Mr Diaz, who has a fast-growing empire of barbers and other shops in Cardiff, criticised Queens Arcade for not consulting over a decision he believes will see businesses "drastically suffer". He feels dispirited over the direction of the shopping centre, which plans to close down its eerily quiet lower level and relocate traders to empty units upstairs so it can redevelop the space in a "sustainable, environmentally-friendly mixed-use scheme" including housing.
Pointing to a wooden board covering a vandalised glass door at the Queen Street entrance, Mr Diaz said: "That happened about a month ago and it still hasn't been properly replaced. When they [don't] do this they are affecting the image of the shopping centre. They should be sending the message, 'We are still open.' The downstairs shops are closing because people are not being welcomed inside."
An Addington Capital spokesman responded: "In relation to the broken door at Queens Arcade, this was caused by two members of the public fooling about and one pushing the other heavily into the door and breaking it three weeks ago. The door has to be made to order and we are currently facing an eight-week delivery period, so it will be replaced as soon as it is delivered. We are focussing our efforts on maintaining the vibrancy of the Queen Street mall and we are working with our existing tenants to renew leases and move others from the lower level up to the Queen Street mall."
The spokesman also gave an insight into the problems behind Queens Arcade's decline, including "too many shops in Cardiff", the coronavirus pandemic and the liquidation of Shaws the Drapers. He said: "The lower level has a much lower footfall than the Queen Street mall and trading is more difficult there. Rents paid by the tenants on the lower level are not sufficient to cover the costs of running this level. As a result, it runs at a substantial loss to the owners. The receivers are therefore looking to concentrate the retailers on the higher footfall area of Queen Street mall to improve income and minimise losses. Where we can we will accommodate those viable retailers who wish to continue to trade from Queen’s Arcade on the upper level."
He added: "The main challenge the centre has faced was the opening of St David’s 2 in 2008 which brought another 1.3 million square feet of retail space into the city centre. This took a lot of tenants from Queens Arcade such as Gap and the Disney Store and the situation was exacerbated by the growth of online shopping which led to the loss of retailers such as Argos."
The spokesman continued: "The receivers have been appointed to look at all options to stem the losses that the shopping centre currently makes with a view of returning it to a sustainable positive income position... We believe that the medium-term future of the centre lies in a redevelopment for a new sustainable and environmentally friendly mixed-use scheme which will go some way in reducing the chronic oversupply of retail units in the city centre and provide new modern housing in the heart of city."
A spokeswoman for the council said the area's public toilet provision has increased in recent years. “The council has a Local Toilets Strategy that aims to ensure that everybody that lives in or visits the city has the toilet provision they need," she said. "This is delivered through a combination of council-operated facilities, such as in hubs, libraries and other council facilities, as well as external organisations, such as shops and businesses, that participate in the community toilet scheme.
“A key component of the strategy is that people are made aware of the location and extent of facilities, at the point they are needed. Progress has been made on visible signposting of public toilets, including businesses that are part of our community scheme displaying a sticker in their window, and awareness-raising work to ensure members of the public know where existing facilities are. We continue to work with partners in the city to enhance and maximise the use of existing facilities that can accessed by the public.”
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