Hair salon saved from supermarket takeover (From Echo)

Hair salon saved from supermarket takeover

3:00pm Friday 10th February 2012 in Local News By Stephen Hackwell

Success – Roy Leach outside his salon, but the victory could be short lived

PEOPLE power has saved a popular hair salon from being taken over by a supermarket – but the respite may be a short one.

Southend Council threw out a bid by Morrisons to close down neighbouring Simply Scissors, in Western Approaches, Eastwood, and replace it with a cafe after more than 1,000 people rallied in support of the salon.

But planning experts warned the legal grounds for rejection were shaky and the verdict could be easily overturned – landing taxpayers with a hefty costs bill – if the superstore chooses to appeal.

Roy Leach, owner of Simply Scissors, said he was still delighted with councillors’ decision.

He said: “I was worried at one stage, but I’m very happy with the result.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens now. There’s nothing more we can do.”

Morrisons, which took over the supermarket when it bought Safeway in 2003, owns the building in which Simply Scissors is based.

As chief leaseholder, the company is responsible for negotiating sub-letting deals with Mr Leach and the owner of neighbouring health and beauty salon, Kalma.

A third shop on the same site has been empty for some time.

In December, Morrisons revealed it wanted to use all three of the shops as a cafe for its customers and intended to terminate Mr Leach’s lease.

However, hundreds of residents rallied around the salon and signed five separate petitions for council chiefs to reject the supermarket’s plan.

Councillors voted against the advice of the council’s planning officers in granting the protesters’ wishes.

But Peter Geraghty, the council’s group manager for planning, warned the authority was likely to be “annihilated” if Morrisons appealed to the Government’s Planning Inspec-torate.

He said: “My heart goes out to the community. I do not decry the support for these businesses in any way.

“But a decision has to be made on planning grounds.

“If this goes to appeal, the chances of us successfully defending are very small indeed.”

A Morrisons spokesman said the company was still undecided about whether it would appeal.

He added: “Naturally, we are disappointed, but we will review our options before making any decisions.”