The Argus recently reported that Pride in Pill’s shopping unit lease was not renewed because their landlord, Kingsway Shopping Centre, said people were living inside the unit.
The charity denies the claim that people were living in the unit.
Paul Murphy who runs Pride in Pill has now challenged the Kingsway Shopping Centre to provide proof that people were sleeping in their unit.
Mr Murphy said Kingsway’s decision to end the lease was made because the unit was up for renewal and was not to do with the health and safety concerns related to someone sleeping in it.
A spokesperson from the Kingsway Shopping Centre said: “These statements are incorrect. The correct way for Pride in Pill to discuss any of this if they needed clarification would be to contact the Centre directly.
Read more: Pride in Pill’s lease at the Kingsway shopping centre was not renewed.
Mr Murphy said there is no evidence that someone was living in the shopping unit, saying: “I challenge them (the Kingsway Shopping Centre) to prove any homeless person was living in the lock up they have cameras and could easily present evidence to yourself if true.”
Mr Murphy said it would be an “absolutely preposterous idea” to allow someone to sleep in the unit because they store all their food and clothes in the unit.
The charity rents the unit in the underground of the shopping centre and Mr Murphy said it would not be possible for someone to get into the unit at night to sleep inside it. He said it is only open from 10am to 6pm.
The spokesperson from the Kingsway said: “The unit they currently occupy is located beneath the shopping centre and is designated as a storage space under strict health and safety regulations. As a responsible landlord, we cannot knowingly allow the unit to be used for anything other than storage.”
However, Mr Murphy said: “The Kingsway centre below has had homeless sleeping year-in-year-out and are still present at this moment, sleeping in doorways and stairwells which is totally ironic for their claims.”
The Kingsway spokesperson said: “We greatly value the contributions of Pride in Pill to the community and have communicated with them directly to offer support as they transition to a new location.
“As their landlord, we can confirm that the licence for their use of the unit expired in mid-December 2024.”
