Businesses call for shopping centre improvements

Business owners and customers said they felt unsafe at a shopping centre and concerned about its future.

Lloyd McPherson, who runs a sports bar at Peterborough's Ortongate Shopping Centre, claimed it suffered from poor security and lighting.

Another business owner said they had recently shut two gyms there due to "unreasonable" service charges.

Centre owners Cassco Holdings Ltd said an "extensive site maintenance plan" was in place, including a new CCTV system, and that service charges had been reduced since 2022.

The centre's occupants include food stores, a pharmacy, Poundland and beauty salons, while a new gambling shop application has also been submitted.

But some business owners urged centre management to "do more" to support them.

Jaspal Singh, who ran My Gym and Anytime Fitness, said he was forced to close both businesses in the last two weeks due to "unreasonable costs".

He said: "I was paying £3,000 for the two units every month but there were no services.

"It is sad. We drove footfall of hundreds of people every week."

Mr McPherson said: "When you come down at night, most of the light bulbs are blown and it's pitch dark in some walkways.

"We have bikes being ridden dangerously day and night through the place. They are letting the centre go."

Another business owner, who did not wish to be named, said in the past six months they had considered closing down due to high charges and low footfall.

Karina Dunn has lived in the area for 23 years and said she feared the centre could be turned into a "ghost town".

She described it as a "once-thriving centre with a variety of shops" and said more could be done to revive it.

"I would never come here in the evening by myself. I wouldn't feel safe."

A spokesperson for the centre said service charges have been reduced since 2022 with "savings passed on to the tenants".

It said the issue of high service charges had not been raised by other tenants and they had not been notified of any other business planning to leave.

The centre management also said only 15% of lighting required maintenance at the site and regular cleaning takes place.

A spokesperson added: "The recent introduction of 24-hour CCTV, covering the entire site, has coincided with a big reduction in crime and anti-social behaviour and the cost saving has meant a reduction in service charges for tenants."

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