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'I've worked 18 hour days for this but soon I'll lose everything'

Chris says he will be 'in the gutter' by October

[Chris Shwenn at the Golden Triangle Industrial Estate in Widnes]

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Chris Shwenn at the Golden Triangle Industrial Estate in Widnes(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

A man claims he will lose everything in October in an ongoing row with a council about compensation. Chris Shwenn runs CS Motors on the Golden Triangle industrial estate in Widnes.

His wife, Laura McMonies, also has a container storage business on the same site. The ECHO has previously reported how they and other traders on the estate were told out of the blue that they had until March 31 to leave as the estate had been purchased by Halton Borough Council.

The businesses were informed in a letter sent to them by solicitors acting on behalf of Halton Council which, alongside developer Cityheart, has submitted plans for 240 new homes to be built on the site.

Business owners told the ECHO they were unaware they would have to make way for the development so soon and warned they faced the imminent collapse of their companies if the plans were not delayed and financial support put in place.

The March 31 deadline has since been extended to September 30.

Traders called on the local authority for compensation to help them relocate, which Chris has now offered. But he claims that after paying the rest of his rent, he will be left with just 1,500 to make the move.

Although Halton Council bought the site under a section 25 notice, Chris believes the council may have used the threat of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) during this process. This would mean he and the other firms in the Golden Triangle are entitled to a higher level of compensation than the statutory amount they have been offered.

In UK law, if your land is bought under a CPO or the threat of one, you can claim disturbance payments. A report in 2021 stated that the council was keen to avoid a CPO to buy the site but would do so as a last resort.

A spokesperson for Halton Council previously said the site was allocated for housing development in the local plan four years ago. They added the council authority is following the legal process and offering statutory compensation where appropriate.

Chris, 41, from Halewood, told the ECHO: (The council) offer statutory compensation, which is a year rateable value if you've been there under fourteen years, or two years if you've been there over fourteen years.

In my situation, that equals about 5,000. But then they want 3,500 rent back off me for the next six months being here, which leaves me 1,500.

I've got container storage, and I've had a quote to get my containers lifted and moved, and it's coming up just under 10,000. So I've said, point one, container removal, relocation within a three-mile radius to a new site - I haven't got one yet, will you assist in this payment?

"Point two, removal of my vehicles. Point three, shutting my garage down, dissembling all my vehicle ramps and getting them professionally re-installed in the new premises, which again, I haven't got.

[Halton Council has bought the site to redevelop it into housing]

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Halton Council has bought the site to redevelop it into housing(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

Then I've done a disturbance cost, which is loss of earnings, loss of profits relocation, rental increases, and all that type of thing.

"(The council) has come back and said, no, we're going off the statutory requirements. They're saying there's no funds available, but they're still actively trying to purchase the other two sites or three sites which they need for the developments. So I've put that in an email - how are you buying them if there's no funds?

If someone threatens a compulsory purchase order, even if the buyer did the agreement without the compulsory purchase, because the threat was made, apparently the compensation is still activated.

If I'm saying to you, I'm buying your farm now with all your land for 1m, or I'm just going to take it with compulsory purchase and build on it anyway, then you agree on a figure - that's what they've done.

By the way, not one person has ever spoken to anyone on the site. They've had meetings with the local councils and the local people in the parish centre. No one's ever been to the site.

Chris believes he should be getting closer to 200,000 in compensation when disturbance costs are factored in. He said: My (full disturbance compensation) figure is over 200,000, just over I think. Now bear in mind the cost of removal of all the stuff is a big portion of that. I haven't gone mad.

I pay myself 30,000 a year. So I've put 15,000 into that disturbance because it's gonna take about six months. And then I profit about 50,000 a year, so I've put 25,000 in there - the six months profit that I'm going to lose.

Then the rest of it is obviously relocation, so rental increases, which increases your disturbance cost. There is a potential site, but it's 35 minutes away, so then I've got a loss of customers, I've got travel costs, time to and from there.

[Chris says he is not being offered enough compensation]

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Chris says he is not being offered enough compensation(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

I only started this garage three years ago, and I lent the money off my mum and dad to set myself up. Then I worked day and night.

I'm in this garage until 2am, sometimes all night, and then I sold my house, and I got the money off that, and I invested nearly all the money (into the business).

Now the council has given me the notice. I've just spent all my family's money, and now I'm going to lose it all.

I've basically lost two and a half years of my life, working 18 hour days, for nothing.

Chris says he is facing financial ruin come October 1. He said: I'm just going to be in the gutter with no house, no nothing, so I'm going to lose everything.

[Chris and the owners of other affected businesses on the Golden Triangle estate]

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Chris and the owners of other affected businesses on the Golden Triangle estate(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

"They're supposed to support the small businesses, but I think the compulsory purchase order changes everything. I'm not giving up the fight.

After that, I'll lose my house because I won't be able to pay my mortgage. So what else can I do?

The ECHO approached Halton Council for a response to Chriss claims but no comment was supplied before publication.

Speaking previously about its approach to taking over the Golden Triangle, a spokesperson said: The Section 25 notice must be served at least six months before termination of a business tenancy, so thats why it was issued once the council became the owner of the site.

The site was allocated for housing development in the local plan four years ago. Work on phase one has been progressing over the past few years, with the intention of moving forward to phase two in due course.

Our Business Growth team is aware of the situation and may be able to offer support. They can be contacted at business@halton.gov.uk.

The Council is following the statutory process for obtaining vacant possession to facilitate regeneration. That process includes statutory compensation where appropriate.

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