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FacebookAt the end of the day this is about people - I am not holding any one of the humans who work at Rory Mack Associates individually accountable for what is happening to the premises on 51 - 53 Merrial Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, known to its friends as Cultural Squatters. But please, even in this business orientated world have some compassion and do not demand that the current occupants who have no source of income redecorate and repair damage to a property that was already present before they moved in. This place has been a lifeline to so many people, including me when I was feeling a little lost and confused by my stroke diagnosis last year. It has been a constant in my week, I have joined men to sing each Wednesday, eaten the most amazing vegan food, laughed, danced and on occasion got a little bit tipsy with strangers who quickly became friends. When the close friends of the Squat and the team of dedicated volunteers gathered together to be personally told the news about this sudden closure there was a great sense of loss, of grief and of shock. Many a tear was shed and a hug shared. But a volunteer stood up and said that Cultural Squatters is not in the bricks and mortar, it is in our hearts. We are not going to be broken by this, it is a set back, we will continue the movement of kindness and we will find a new home. In the mean time if Rory Mack as a corporate entity can show a tiny amount of the compassion that has been shown to me by Cultural Squatters it would be the least they could do. I realise that this is a commercial decision but businesses are nothing without the communities they serve and while volunteers are busy trying to find places to store equipment, or community based groups who have lost their place to meet so suddenly are desperately trying to find new accommodation the least a company like yours can do is show a little restraint. Cultural Squatters is what community looks like and it would be great if you could take a leaf out of their book and #BeKind
Agent replied · 22 September 2025
Re: Cultural Squatters Given the tone of the recent posts, we feel duty bound to respond, so that we can set the factual record straight on a number of pertinent points that we doubt everyone is aware of. Cultural Squatters (CS) may have been an entity designed to benefit local society and it is regrettable that the doors have closed, but it is unfair to lay any blame at the door of Rory Mack Associates or the landlord, both of whom have tried to work with those who operated CS. The closure of CS has not been fuelled by greed or an absent mind towards helping society and throughout our involvement with CS we have worked tirelessly to try and make the arrangement palatable for all parties. The following facts should be taken into consideration before people reflect on the performance of Rory Mack Associates and the way that we treat people and if we genuinely felt that the decision to bring this lease to an end (a decision which incidentally was not ours) was not justified we would say so. • CS were granted occupation of 51-53 Merrial Street by means of a ‘Tenancy At Will’ dated 14th February 2018 which was originally put in place by a former managing agent - Riddell TPS based in Manchester. The Tenancy was taken by English Table Tennis Association Ltd who sub-let to CS on the basis that they set up a table tennis facility that was available to all for minimal cost. It was always agreed that the Tenancy At Will would be a temporary Tenancy in order to try and stimulate some activity in the unit and as a way of reducing the Empty Business Rate liability. The tenancy was composed on the basis that the landlord paid for Business Rates, Utilities, Service Charge and Buildings Insurance. CS agreed to pay a ‘turnover rent’ which was initially based on 10% and increased to 15% in June 19. • Rory Mack Associates were appointed as managing agents 21st August 2018 • We had a meeting with CS in June 2019, (at the landlords request), at which point CS were offered alternative premises within the internal part of York Place/Astley Walk. This was due to the spiralling costs being incurred by the landlord due to the way CS were operating. CS left the electrically operated heating on 24 hrs a day (despite being told not to) which was completely un-necessary and resulted in monthly electricity bills running into hundreds of pounds. It was also agreed that CS would apply to the Council to obtain an 80% reduction in business rates however, since May 2019 CS stopped applying for the reduction, resulting in a substantial increase in business rates cost. In essence it became more expensive to have CS in occupation than just keeping the unit empty. • Despite the above offer and mention of the excessive utility costs CS declined the opportunity to relocate and continued not to help mitigate the above costs. • On numerous occasions multiple tenants within the development complained about CS and their clientele, due to excessive noise and rubbish being left around the rear of the property and miss-use of other tenants commercial bins. On the 27th October 2018 the police were called to the property due to commotion and damage caused to entrance door. • Although unconnected to ourselves we have subsequently been informed that English Table Tennis Association Ltd recently inspected the property and due to the way CS was being operated they wrote to them requesting that their relationship be brought to an end, as CS were not adhering to their stipulated business ethos. This written request was ignored by CS. • Due to spiralling costs, the behaviour of visiting clientele, damage being caused to the unit, complaints being received from neighbouring tenants and the complete lack of cooperation from CS to address any of the above issues the landlord requested notice to be served which was done on the 5th September 2019 which will end the Tenancy on the 27th September 2019, which actually gives CS more time to vacate than the Tenancy requires. The above are all facts and nothing is a fabrication of the truth. Rory Mack Associates and the landlord have tried to work with CS. Those in a position of leadership at CS have let down those that use the facility, no one else. It would have been very easy for CS to have made a few simple adjustments which would have enabled them to remain. CS chose to ignore advice to keep utility bills at a sensible level. CS chose not to continue to apply to the Council to claim a reduction in business rates that they were entitled to. CS turned down the option to relocate into alternative premises. CS conducted their business in such a way that it detrimentally affected neighbouring tenants and was contrary to the way that CS had told the English Table Tennis Association Ltd that they would operate. Rory Mack Associates look after over 600 individual commercial tenants and nearly 200 residential tenants have operated since 1992 and have never experienced the type of feedback that we have on this occasion, which we can only presume is down to individuals having been miss-informed of the facts. We are regulated by the RICS and have strict codes of practice that we have to adhere to and evicting tenants on a whim is certainly not one of them. Our business and in particular our property management dept continues to grow year on year, not because we act in the way that people have suggested, quite the opposite in fact and we trust that the above demonstrates that we have acted professionally and with compassion and that the closure of CS has been brought upon themselves and the leadership of those charged with the running of same.
