By Jess Baker
Rumours of renovations at the Stanthorpe Plaza had been circulating for years before they were finally confirmed in November 2020, but shop owner tenants say they are still “completely in the dark” about the fate of their businesses.
Many fear they will be displaced by the renovations and increased rents, while others claim they have been told outright they will have to leave the Plaza indefinitely.
One tenant who asked to remain anonymous said that no official notice to leave has been issued by the Plaza owner as yet, but tenants have been told to stay alert.
“We were told by the person coordinating the renovations in November (2020) that we’d be asked to leave at the end of January (2021),” said the tenant.
“None of us have leases… we’re all on month-to-month agreements so we can be told to leave with 30 days’ notice.”
Despite concerns about timelines and rent increases, shop owners at the Plaza said they agree with the rest of the Stanthorpe community that renovations are well overdue.
One previous tenant, who moved just before renovations were announced in November, said deteriorating conditions and high rent pushed them out of the shopping centre after more than a decade of tenancy.
“Our shop was pretty good because we looked after it, but the Plaza as a whole was awful,” said the ex-tenant who asked to remain anonymous.
“It became a swimming pool when it rained, there were cockroaches everywhere, holes in the roof, and the carpark was terrible.
“We got out before shops were told there would be renovations and rent increases.”
The ex-tenant said they understand tenants will soon be required to vacate the Plaza for renovations that could take 10 months to complete, at which time rents will be increased to amounts “similar to that of Brisbane”.
Owners of much-loved SLAPS Coffee House Café Phil and Lyn Politch had been tenants at the Plaza for 12 years, but moved to Main Street last month after being made aware of the financial implications renovations would have on their business.
Phil said he and Lyn were told they would have to pay “much, much higher rent” to stay at the Plaza and they would have to commit to the increased rent before renovations were completed.
“But they couldn’t tell us how long renovations would take… it could have been six to eight months,” said Phil.
“There’s no one up there (at the Plaza) now, all the businesses that were there have left because they couldn’t pay the increased rent.
“Had the rent been respectable, we would have stayed.”
Thankfully, Phil said the move turned out to be a blessing in disguise and SLAPS is now busier than ever.
The café is averaging an extra 100 transactions per day at its new location and virtually every regular customer who used to visit Phil and Lyn at the Plaza has followed them to Main Street.
“We went through 10 kilograms of bacon in two hours the other day,” said Phil.
“We’re struggling to keep up with the new demand and I’m working six days a week, starting at 5.00am and getting home at 7.00pm.”
Phil said there were several factors that influenced he and Lyn’s decision to move SLAPS to Stanthorpe’s Main Street as well as increased rent, including proximity to motels and the new K-hub in town.
Both tenants and ex-tenants at the Plaza have said they are bound by confidentiality agreements and cannot share specifics about proposed rent increases, but they all seem certain they are coming.
Mark Long of Allure Retail, the retail leasing business handling the renovations, said there is “a lot of misinformation going around” about existing and future tenancies at the centre but it “is possible” rents may increase.
“We’re planning for refurbishment in the centre that will involve some changes,” said Mark.
“We have a confidentiality agreement with each tenant… but we haven’t asked anyone to leave at this point and no rents have been increased.”
He said it is each tenant’s responsibility to ask questions or share concerns about their shop or their rent, but he cannot confirm what the impact of the renovations will be until he himself knows the final details.
“All the tenants were personally spoken to in November and were told there would be renovations,” he said.
“Once we have confirmed the details, we will share them with the shop owners.”
Mark said the specifics of the renovations will come to light in a few weeks’ time, but they will aim to “improve the retail offer and shopping experience in Stanthorpe”.
