Businesses and community groups demand answers after abrupt closure of Nottingham’s Howitt Building due to fire safety concerns.
The council manages the site. Businesses and the Marcus Garvey Day Centre are there. The council gave them 28 days to leave. This happened because of fire safety issues. Experts found problems with fire doors.
Businesses must leave by March 4th. Survey work needs to happen at the site. The council says they will inform tenants, including survey results and future plans. Occupants met to discuss the planned closure.
The center is a business hub. The Marcus Garvey Centre serves the Afro-Caribbean community. It offers services for the Windrush generation. These services are unique in the city. The meeting resulted in a collective letter, which they will send to the council.
It will describe the closure’s impact. Businesses want to meet with council leaders. They want to discuss the effects of this action. The businesses’ letter calls the notice unreasonable and lacking consideration for everyone involved.
The timeframe is too short for relocation. Businesses invested a lot here. They support the local economy. The letter mentions years of operation at this location. Some occupants have even been there for decades.
The Marcus Garvey Centre is a listed building. Raleigh Bikes used it as headquarters in the 1930s. Now, it’s a hub for small businesses and also serves Nottingham’s Afro-Caribbean communities.
People want transparency on the fire inspection. They also desire a suspension of the 28-day notice. This suspension would allow a new plan. Building occupants want to pay for repairs, which would allow them to stay there.
A petition started to save the Marcus Garvey Centre. The Black Community Action Group began it. A council spokesperson responded, saying they know this impacts businesses. Tenant safety is their top priority. They cannot house businesses there until the survey finishes.