Traders at Manchester’s Corn Exchange are considering whether to sue landlord Frogmore Estates for damage caused after the IRA bomb devastated the building.
Dennis Noden, Chairman of the Corn Exchange Tenants Association, has confirmed that the traders have appointed solicitor Pannoni to pursue the case.
They are seeking compensation for damage to fittings, fixtures and stock allegedly caused when workmen lowered the glass and metal dome into the inner hall. Noden said: “From day one the inner hall was open to the elements and so stock was subjected to seven or eight weeks of rain gushing in.”
But Frogmore’s Eric Roseman denies that this is the case. He claims that the company had already helped out tenants affected by the bomb. “The traders have received compensation from Frogmore on an ex gratia basis to assist in re-establishing themselves. Those that wanted to move we helped to move their goods”.
Roseman also disputes attempts to quantify the extent of the damage done by the bomb or the removal of the dome: “It is very difficult to establish what damage was caused by the initial bomb and what was caused by recovery. It would be pure speculation.”
Shopkeepers who traded from units at the base of the building’s external facade also claim to be in conflict with Frogmore. Noden alleges that Frogmore is putting pressure on tenants to relinquish leases.
He said: “From day one after the bomb Frogmore has been asking them to surrender their leases. Their excuse is that they do not know how long it will before Corn Exchange reopens and there is a possibility it will not reopen in its present form. They want the leases so they can do whatever they want.” According to Noden, the unexpired leases in question range from 2 – 17 years in length.
But Roseman is adamant that no pressure has been exerted on anybody to relinquish leases. He argues that Frogmore is, quite sensibly, preparing for an uncertain future. “This part of Manchester will be reconfigured as a result of the architectural redesign of the city. So not only do you have the dynamic of a two year gap in trade, but when it reopens you could have a totally different city.”
Frogmore has yet to decide how to rebuild the listed property, but Roseman is confident that the current mix of uses will be retained in any new development: “There will always be a future in the Corn Exchange for mixed uses and specialist market activity. That is our view.”
EGi News 23/09/96
