The reason for refusal of this application, upheld at this meeting, was “The loss of four shop units would spell the death knell for Walkley as a shopping centre.”

Our shop is one unit and has been for over 80 years. The public of Walkley do not rely on our shop staying open, as we are a very specialised retail business with most customers coming from out of the area.

May I ask what happened to the same criteria being applied to the Wisewood school issue?

The children and their families bring hundreds of people to the area each day keeping the shops and the community thriving. This is double standards by the council; they should apply their rules equally to all situations, not just when it suits their argument.

Had they done this, the school would be staying open. Are the council going to compensate the shopkeepers of Wisewood as they will have no business when the school closes or are they going to do the same to them as they have done to us: expect them, like us, to bear the consequences for their decisions?

The result of closing a school will be devastating to the community. The council should apply the same rules to their projects as they apply to everyone else

Liz Simpson, Director, Replicas Victorian Fireplaces, Walkley & local resident of Wisewood.