Barnsley retailer says 20 months of uncertainty over Alhambra health hub plans have put her business under strain
An independent retailer in Barnsley’s Alhambra Shopping Centre says almost two years of uncertainty around plans for an NHS health hub has left her business struggling to plan for the future - and the stress has taken a toll on her health.
Claire Swallow, who runs plus-size fashion shop The Closet Queen, said she has faced unclear communication, repeated changes in information and disruption caused by ongoing works inside the centre.
While she supports the creation of an NHS hub, she said information about the impact on retailers has been inconsistent.
The business occupies a large upper-floor unit and relies on an on-site warehouse for online orders, which make up around half of its sales. Ms Swallow said she still has three years left on her lease but is increasingly worried about the long-term stability of the shop as redevelopment plans progress.
She said she had built the business up over the last 11 years, starting from home with £500 before moving to a market stall, multiple units on The Arcade and eventually expanded into the Alhambra Centre.
Ms Swallow was first contacted by BMBC 20 months ago, when the council asked if she would consider moving units to make way for the Health on the High Street hub, a new NHS-led health and wellbeing centre that will take over the first floor of the Alhambra Centre, bringing a wide range of outpatient and support services into the heart of the town centre.
She said she had been offered three alternative units over the last 20 months, and had accepted one unit, but the offer was later withdrawn by the council.
The rest, she adds, were not suitable as they lacked warehouse space essential for online fulfilment.
Two financial offers to surrender her lease were also discussed. She said the first, made in September 2024, would not have covered her costs, while a second offer in October 2025, which she accepted, was rescinded by the council a week later.
Ms Swallow said day-to-day trading has also been affected by a series of maintenance issues since the council bought the centre in in September 2023.
She reported five flooding incidents in December that damaged stock and disrupted warehouse operations. She said lighting in the store was not fully restored for six months, and that the escalators were out of service for almost the same length of time. Service lifts and nearly 200 parking spaces were also unavailable for more than three months, including over the busy Christmas period.
“Everything’s had a knock on effect. When you’ve got lots of those things all adding, it builds up and builds up. Then you’ve got no footfall coming in, because it’s such a faff that people can’t get parked because there’s no car parking spaces. It’s been like a soap opera.”
She added that the promotion of the health hub and the non-renewal of some retailers’ leases had led to confusion among customers, some of whom believed the upper floor was already closing.
“I’m not asking for compensation. I want my money back that I invested into that unit. I want to walk out in the same position that I walked in, not in a worse one.”
Ms Swallow said the uncertainty has been difficult for her team of eight staff, many of whom have worked with her for years.
“I’ve got eight girls that work for me, and honestly, they’re all amazing staff and a lot of them are long term staff, and we are like a family.”
She said that despite the pressures, she remains passionate about being a face-to-face retailer and the role her shop plays in supporting customers.
“It’s about making people feel really good, making people feel amazing… I want to be customer facing… I want to be helping them. I want to empower them… And I just think, why should I have that stolen away from me?”
Although she said she backed the health hub itself, she added: “I fully support this new NHS part of the health on the high street… The problem that I’ve got is how we’ve been treated, left in uncertainty.”
She said the situation has also taken a toll on her health and left her unsure what the future holds.
Despite the challenges, Ms Swallow said The Closet Queen continues to trade as normal and she is urging shoppers to keep supporting independent retailers in the centre.
In response, Barnsley Council said Barnsley Health on the High Street is a “pioneering health and wellbeing hub” that will deliver a vital public facility for the whole town, including the newly opened Barnsley Hospital Outpatients.
The authority said it has been working with partners on redevelopment plans since 2023 “while keeping leisure and retail in the centre”, and that it has been “talking to all our tenants, including independent businesses and national retailers, about how we do this”.
A spokesperson said some space in the centre is being redesigned to make room for the hub, but stressed that “no tenants are forced to leave”.
The council said it recognises that a redevelopment of this size causes disruption, particularly in an operational shopping centre, and added that “many alternative options have been put forward to The Closet Queen”. These, it said, included remaining in the existing unit, moving to other available units, or negotiating a financial settlement in line with the lease provisions. The council also said it had searched for alternative shops in the wider town centre and offered support through centre management and Enterprising Barnsley.
The spokesperson added that the council is “unable to expand further” on specific negotiations, saying it would be “inappropriate to conduct business discussions in a public forum during continuing negotiations”.
They added: “We recognise that The Closet Queen is a fantastic local business, and we hope that they will continue to trade in the borough.”