A shop in Merrywalks has shut down - and its owner has hit out at the centre’s new developers.

Up This Way, which had sold custom-built furniture and decorations with an artistic twist, was open for the last time on Saturday, July 14 after nearly four years of business.

Its lease was cancelled by the new owners of Merrywalks, Dransfield Properties, which has submitted plans to overhaul the shopping centre with an investment of £12m.

The shop was the brainchild of Stroud Valleys Artspace and took up Unit 6 of the shopping centre under a meanwhile lease, a Government initiative to encourage the temporary occupation of otherwise empty shops.

Its owner, Jason Wilkinson, took to Facebook to voice his complaints and also put up a notice in the shop window.

“Having recently been sold for redevelopment to Dransfield Properties Ltd, there now seems no appetite for the continued support of the 30+ Stroud based makers and artists at Up This Way whose work has delighted the public far and wide,” he said in Facebook post on Thursday, July 12 announcing the closure.

“A date to quit was issued by the new owners without meeting or consultation.”

Amanda Holmes from Dransfield Properties explained the closure by saying: “We have served notice on this unit at Merrywalks which was occupied rent free on a temporary basis, the arrangement was put in place by the previous landlord as a method of rates mitigation.

“To deliver the regeneration and transformation of the centre we are not able to continue with this arrangement and in line with the agreement in place we have requested that the unit is now returned.

“We certainly hope that there will be opportunities in the future to work with local artists and craftsmen which is very much a part of our company’s ethos.”

For now Up This Way will be online-only, though Jason told the SNJ he hopes he can find a new home for his shop.