On behalf of Dr Rebecca Trimnell and myself as the lead petitioners opposing the closure of the Sainsbury’s Store on Northgate Street. We thank everyone who signed our petition there were just under 700 signatures showing the strength of opposition over the closure of the store.

Rebecca and I had a virtual meeting with a senior representative from Sainsbury’s and we also had a conversation with Mountcharm who are the owners of the building.

Unfortunately, we were unable to persuade Sainsbury’s to keep their store open, which they say will close in January 2021. A link to copy of their letter is below.

We understand that Mountcharm are preparing plans to restructure the ground floor retail space and convert the first floor into apartments.

Both Rebecca, Angela and I are committed to supporting a grocery store on the ground floor and we understand this is a strong possibility.

We are disappointed that we were unable to persuade Sainsbury’s to change their mind. It is sad to see this popular store closing after 50 years.

We hope we don’t see an empty shop for too long.