A garden machinery shop that closed after 82 years because of lockdown pressures has transformed into a demolition site.
Handy Garden Machinery was long established on Hobley Drive in Stratton, opposite Aldi, but was forced to shut in 2020 because it was not economically viable for the owners to continue with the lockdowns.
Demolition contractor C J Charlton Group Ltd has gutted out the building’s interior and has erected metal fences with signs warning the site is dangerous.
Plans to turn the warehouse into a self-storage center have been submitted by Cubic Storage to Swindon Borough Council.
A decision about the site’s future has not yet been made, according to the council’s website. Some residents expressed disappointment with the proposals describing it as a “shame” and a “boring” alternative. One woman said she would have preferred a new shop to replace Handy’s instead of another storage site.
Big Yellow Self Storage is just over a mile away.
Handy Garden Machinery evolved from a retail store to distributor and manufacturer so parent company G J Handy is still operating.
At the time of closure, chairman Simon Belcher said: “It’s a real shame that after such a long period of being a retailer in Swindon that we feel the need to close the retail shop.
“It is disappointing because I don’t think there’s another garden machinery retailer in Swindon of our size.”
Swindon Borough Council was approached for comment.
