Heaton shop fears closure as council doubles rent

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson says "We recognise the impact Heaton Perk and 109 General Store have had, and we’ve made extensive effort to engage their respective leaseholders throughout this process to support them in any way we can."

At General Store 109, leaseholders have long-benefited from terms beneath market value, which is also unfair for market-level paying businesses, and this is about being consistent across our portfolio.

“While we appreciate these are challenging times for businesses, rental increases are only made in line with fair market conditions."