Dear Mr Burchell,
Managing Director, Southern Railways,
Go-Ahead House, 26-28 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR9
5GA
URGENT
I write further to my email of November last year when I
asked you to allow the existing tenant at the Runaway Cafe to be retained.
Sadly, your recent decision shows you do not intend that to be the case.
However, please would you can reconsider this decision? Also, I invite you to
come here to Lewes and meet the local residents and users of the cafe.
I understand that a petition was submitted to you during the
tender process with some 5000 signatures on it. I'm sure you will agree this is
a large number of people supporting the existing cafe. To my knowledge you
haven't explained why you ignored this petition. Did you receive complaints
over the past three years about the existing tenancy? During this tender round
did you receive suggestions that the existing tenant should be replaced? Did
you consult The Passenger Watchdog (Passenger Focus)? I see from the notice you've placed outside
the station you say that you've “secured the best deal for Lewes passengers.”
Since you didn't take any notice of the petition and as far as I know didn't
offer any public consultation to passengers, your officials in Croydon and
Newcastle have evidently decided that they know better than the people of
Lewes. This smacks of arrogance.
You said in your reply to my email that “It would not be
fair to other businesses that are interested in operating the cafe at the
station if Southern were to automatically renew the existing lease”. I really
don't understand the logic of this, – if there is an existing service which
everybody is happy with, why change it? Also, I don't understand the rationale
that you apply about being fair to other businesses. Where is the fairness to the
existing business? You've now made a lady and her staff redundant with nowhere
to go! To be fair is one thing but why did you go around the town asking other
cafes in Lewes to tender for the business? That sounds like a positive move to
oust the existing tenant!
You also said in your reply that “there will continue to be
a place where small businesses and start-up businesses can establish themselves
and flourish”. What is your answer to the existing tenant on this point
then? – they have been crushed because
of ‘big brother’ at Southern Railways. You've appointed a contractor who
already has multiple outlets on stations and other places from Birmingham to
Brighton! It seems that in this case you've torn up your ‘small business’
policy.
I look forward to hearing from you. Please note that this is
an open letter
Yours sincerely,
Victor S Ient
A resident of Lewes in the area since 1984 and a user of the
rail service from Lewes for over 25 years.
