Story:Anwar Suliman & Amy Palmer
Since the Messenger’s last print edition in October the council’s contractor M3 has begun the Spital Hill improvement scheme, intended to revitalise the appearance of the shop fronts.
On speaking to the business owners we found a lot of discontented shopkeepers unhappy with the quality, the extent and the inconvenience of the work.
Quality concerns
Ahmed at Al Sultan complained: “I'm not very happy with the service or the job.” Al Sultan's agreement of work with the council was to paint their shop front but, after a month of scaffolding on their shop, disturbing both tenants and customers, no painting had been done and the scaffolding was removed. Ahmed was then told there was not enough money to paint his shop despite scaffolding being erected on buildings on the other side of the green. Queen Sheba Café were also told there was no money to paint their shop as had been agreed.
Gamal Suliman of Aden Corner complained that his shop has been painted against his wishes and now he will have to spend time and money repainting it regularly to keep it looking smart. Leaky guttering, that was meant to be replaced, has been taped over and the tape painted to match the downpipe instead. “I had leaks coming into my shop,” Mr Suliman explained.
Council response
A Sheffield City Council spokesperson said:
“I can confirm that there is sufficient funding to carry out the work scheduled for the Spital Hill shop front scheme.
We have made individual visits to each shop owner and tailored the work schedule to each shop within the approved criteria and we will look into any individual complaints as they arise. Unfortunately a shop was painted in error in the first phase of the work and we have apologised for this.
The contact number for enquiries from shopkeepers remains the same as advertised and all complaints have either been resolved or are being dealt with.”
The Messenger also contacted M3 for a response and was issued with a statement that explains they are only responsible for carrying out the schedule of work provided by the council. They point out that:
“The final sign off for the project and completion of making good all defects is not due to be carried out until the contractual completion date, summer 2015.”
Meanwhile at Togheer Café Mr Ibrahim points out that his windows have still only been half replaced and the rest boarded up. He says the contractors have changed the colour of his door without consulting him, and that he now has to repaint it himself.
The Council states that the work should be complete by May. Anyone with continuing issues regarding the improvement scheme should contact Housing and Regeneration Services on 0114 273 5531.