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Update on Sunny News

Update on Sunny News

Dear Supporter of Sunny News

It’s with a heavy heart and great sadness that we have to announce that, after 30 years of invaluable community service, Sunny will be closing his shop and vacating the premises at the end of March 2018.

The parties were due to attend the trial last Thursday at Wandsworth County Court but, due to the cost of legal fees that he would have incurred had he lost the case, Sunny was left with no alternative but to settle the claim and agree to vacate the premises. We understand that the landlord based their claim for possession on their intention to convert the premises and live there themselves but as the case was settled, the landlord’s case was never able to be tested at court.  You may be wondering what happened to the money we, as a community, raised via crowdfunding to help Sunny fight this case and why didn’t he use those funds for this recent court case.  Those funds were exhausted during the Judicial Review process at the High Court earlier this year. This fight was to try and reverse the planning inspectorate appeal decision against Wandsworth Council who refused the original planning application to convert the shop into a private dwelling.

You may not be aware but the shop has always been used as a shop and was built for that purpose where it could serve its local community.  This is something Sunny and Jamie have done in our corner of Southfields admirably over so many years, with our children growing up buying their sweets from Sunny’s and all of us benefitting from having our local paper delivery and so much more.  Most importantly, Sunny and Jamie have served the wider community far beyond from just the other side of the counter, by being a lookout for our young and old alike and being a true community service to our friendly neighbourhood.  This was recognised when the Southfields Triangle Resident’s Association succeeded in having the shop being granted the status of an “Asset of Community Value”.  

Sadly, in March next year Sunny, Jamie and their family will have to close the shop, vacate their home and move away from their friends, home and livelihood to try and establish a new life for themselves elsewhere. 

This is really a very sad outcome not only for Sunny but for our whole neighbourhood who will now lose this unofficial community centre, with all its associated services, which is closing against the wishes of everyone!

Thank you all very much for your huge and continued support throughout our Save Sunny News campaign. 

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