Nigel Clark, the coffee seller faced with eviction from Marks Tey station has been given a two week reprieve to consider his options. Plans are in place to spend £2.4 million on refurbishing the station and National Express East Anglia want Mr Clark to move to a new pitch at the front of the station. This move would see his rent increase from £2,500 to £7,000 which he says he cannot afford. His notice to quit expired yesterday [Wednesday].
Some 700 commuters have signed a petition in support of Mr Clark and local MP Priti Patel has raised her concerns in the House of Commons.
She told MPs: “National Express has behaved disgracefully over Marks Tey station and shown complete contempt for local commuters. In recent months, it has made no effort to consult commuters and only now, on the eve of work beginning, has it bothered to send a few people out to showcase the plans, choosing to be there at a time which is inconvenient to many commuters.
“We’ve had to fight long and hard to get National Express to agree to allow Nigel to continue to sell newspapers and coffees to commuters while the work takes place, but after that, his future is uncertain."
A National Express East Anglia spokesman said: “We have sought to engage positively on this matter and will continue to do.”
It's a pity that the MP has taken this route and action to try and stop the work.
ReplyDeleteFor all the good that Nigel does, Marks Tey station is a dump, it desperately needs this work for the benefit of all Marks Tey station users and the staff that work there.