Shopping in Bristol
Business owners 'worried' as another shop closes on struggling street
"I know what Hotwell Road was years ago and what it is now. It worries me"
Conor GogartyChief reporter
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A once-bustling Hotwells street hit by a string of recent closures saw another shop shut last week amid fears "there will be no businesses left".
Bristol Hot Tub Centre, on Hotwell Road, closed on November 13 due to parking restrictions and rising business rates, owner Tony Bateman said.
Other Hotwell Road businesses to have shut in recent months include Hotwells Fabrics and furniture shop Hotwells Pine. Restaurants Shiraz and Asia Channel have also closed in the last few years.
Mr Bateman, 58, said: "We're going to relocate to a different city, one which cares about business."
A Spar convenience store, Marcruss Outdoors and The Bear pub are among the few businesses remaining on Hotwell Road, which in decades gone by was lined by a wide range of shops.
John O'Neill, who helps run The Bear, said: "I've lived here all my life and I'm 80 years of age. I know what Hotwell Road was years ago and what it is now. It worries me."
'The worst financial mistake'
Bristol Hot Tub Centre has closed (Image: Dan Regan/BristolLive)
Mr Bateman, who opened Bristol Hot Tub Centre two years ago with his brother, says it was "the worst financial mistake they ever made".
He told Bristol Live he understands a student development is set to take the shop's place.
He says he was forced to close the store after its rateable value was almost doubled without explanation, meaning business rates of £12,000 a year.
Though Bristol City Council does not set rateable values, Mr Bateman was unhappy with the council's response when he complained about the new rates.
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He said: "They told me it was a very desirable area when I asked why the rates had gone up. I told them they needed to drive down to Hotwells and see what is happening.
"It's crazy. Business rates are supposed be about 46 per cent of what you're paying in rent. For us, it was 92 per cent."
Mr Bateman planned to split the premises into two sites, one for the shop and the other an office for his brother's hot tub business consultancy.
He added: "If we divided it, we wouldn't have needed to pay such high rates, but the council's response was extremely disappointing.
'I am disappointed with this city'
"They told me we would have to pay full rates until we were revalued, which could have taken six months.
"When I asked if they realised how difficult cash flow can be for businesses, they said, 'If you haven't got the cash flow then don't be in business.'
"There was no understanding of our situation at all. I am so disappointed with this city."
Mr Bateman believes the council's "lack of willingness to help businesses" is shown by parking restrictions on Hotwell Road.
He said: "There is a bus lane outside, which was in operation from 7am until 9am and then 4pm to 6.30pm.
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"Customers couldn't park outside the shop during those times, and the council decided to extend the lane until 10am, meaning they were restricting customers even more.
"There was no need for it because it's an outbound lane, but the council told me they didn't want to 'confuse the traffic wardens' by having the restriction end at a different time to other roads.
"The council is driving people out of Bristol. People used to come to us from places like Taunton and then say they were going into town afterwards. They are killing that."
Hotwells Pine has closed (Image: Dan Regan/BristolLive)
Mr Bateman fears soon "there will be no businesses left" on Hotwell Road and expects it to become an eyesore.
He said: "All the council is interested in is students. They want Bristol to be a party city. Yes, you need students, but it should be a balance."
The entrepreneur added he is not yet sure where Bristol Hot Tub Centre will relocate to.
His concerns for Hotwell Road are shared by Mr O'Neill, who took over the lease at The Bear in 1997.
Mr O'Neill, whose daughter Beverly is now landlady, feels the area is becoming rundown.
Inside The Bear pub (Image: Dan Regan/BristolLive)
'I can see a big bulldozer coming in'
The Bear dates back to 1675, but Mr O'Neill feels the historic boozer's future would be more secure if the area received more support from the council.
He said: "I can see a big bulldozer coming in and demolishing everything on Hotwell Road for new high-rises, but maybe I'm a pessimist.
"People do refer to us as a community pub. We even get the local pharmacy delivering prescriptions here for people to pick up when they finish work. You can't get more community than that.
"We have been successful because we are local people. I honestly believe if someone else took over, it would be closed within a year."
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Mr O'Neill believes the biggest problem for businesses is the lack of parking available.
He said: "The restrictions mean people can't park outside the pub after work. That's been killed. We could do with a new car park in the area.
"I can remember when there were 30 pubs from the end of the Portway up to College Green. Now there are about eight. It's too much of a gamble for people to open pubs here.
"People are very price-conscious. If you put prices up by 10p people know all about it.
Beverly O'Neill is the landlady of The Bear pub (Image: Dan Regan/BristolLive)
"They don't expect to pay £3.80 for a pint of Doom Bar, but when you say you're paying £17,000 a year in business rates, they go 'blimey'."
Mr O'Neill ran a shop next to the pub called Hotwells Convenience Store until he closed it two years ago.
He said: "Online shopping had a big effect. I was sat in there doing nothing, and I could see vans pulling up from the supermarkets because people were ordering online."
When Hotwells Fabrics announced in September it was closing after six years, it told Bristol Live : "It is a lovely spot down here but being a trader was made difficult when parking restrictions and machines were introduced.
"It was thriving once upon a time with every unit occupied but the area isn't quite what it used to be, let's just put it that way. It's a shame."
What the council says
A council spokeswoman said: "Whilst business rates are not set by the council we do administer a number of relief schemes that are specifically aimed at small and medium sized enterprises.
"We urge any business facing difficulties to engage with organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, Business West and our own business section for advice."
The Valuation Office Agency, which sets business rates, declined to comment.
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