Lodge Rent Review

Our increase in rent justified, quite correctly, because of the potential benefit of increase trade when the Blade and Zurich projects were completed. Now one of them is close, we're being kicked out! 

THE LODGE ARTS CENTRE & CAFE VICTORIA PARK

RENT REVIEW

25/02/2014

When we were pressed to sign our new 10 year lease last year in Feb 2013 the increase of rent was from £4,500 to £9,750pa that is staggered over 3 years with the condition that future rent may go up or down depending on the economic situation.

As we did not sign the new lease until Feb 2013 the staged rent increase started from Feb 2013 at £6,250pa / Feb 2014 £8,000pa / Feb 2015 £9,750 yet what has happened now they have changed their minds and issued us with 2 (uninvoiced) invoices in the last month for the rent increase backdated to 2012. This is thousands extra when they know they have blacklisted us from any work, funding, taken our alcohol licence away and the points below.

Main Points:

  1. The University of Portsmouth Blade building, accommodation for 600 students in Victoria Park still not built after 3 and years
  2. Zurich tower not converted into hotel and apartments after 4 years
  3. Recession getting worse still no sign of recovery (lack of contracts and funding)
  4. BAE closing down less customers for café, No Northern Quarter
  5. More cafes in University, Guildhall, Guildhall walk
  6. Blacklisted by some at PCC
  7. No bar (undemocratically taken away)
  8. We have still the only toilet in the park after 6 years

We would also like to comment on the fact that our rent had a rise of 110% was so that it fell in the same bracket as other commercial? businesses ie: Canoe lake café that has a lot more clientele in fact as we were walking past the other day there were over 30 people sitting outside and around 20 inside at one time. Our park café on the same day had less than 5 people the whole day. This of course is very unfair that we have a venue that is not a 12 month trade as your internal e-mails stated back in 1998 let alone all the community work we have offered free over the last 13 years.

 

Internal e-mail stated back in 1998

Internal communications obtained through a freedom of information request.


Being forced into the terms