ACCORDING to Tom Lambe, a resident of Linmeyer, Comaro Crossing Shopping Centre is not being maintained and there seem to be longstanding problems not being addressed.
Lambe said, “A beam outside Bembom Coffee Shop, which fell down in February 2018, was only recently repaired. I’m sure this must have had a negative effect on their business and they must have lost customers.
“On the lower level outside Food Lover’s Market, there was a sign on its doors for more than a year, saying Elevator Out of Order – Undergoing Routene (sic) Maintenance.
“I’m also unhappy with the security measures taken whereby yellow cones are put in the disabled parking bays to try and address non-disabled persons from parking there. They are huge and a nightmare to remove by a disabled person, such as me.”
Lambe has sent emails to both Broll and SA Corporate Real Estate, who owns Comaro Shopping Centre, asking for his concerns to be addressed.
“Weighing heavily on my mind is the installation of a number of ATMs in what had previously been a cake shop, between Wimpy and Pick n Pay, which has been authorised. I’m concerned about the walls between the stores and whether they have indeed been reinforced in accordance with the specs provided by the banks, as SA Corporate Real Estate has confirmed. I was advised I would receive the structural engineer report, which will confirm that the ATM installation is in accordance with the specs provided by the banks,” added Lambe.
The CHRONICLE approached management of BemBom Coffee Shop asking how they felt about the time delay in the beam outside their shop being repaired.
“It was very disappointing to us the repairs took so long. Due to the structural damage and how bad it looked, many of our customers stopped coming here because they were worried about their safety. Some customers thought we were completely closed and we did ask Comaro Crossing centre management if they could erect a sign in the centre, advising our shop was still open for business, which they never did. We also had to pay full rent in the end for all the months we couldn’t use our outside pavement area for tables and chairs, which we actually still can’t. Loss of business has impacted greatly on us.”
Comment received
Ian van der Merwe from SA Corporate Real Estate, which owns the Comaro Crossing Shopping Centre, was asked for comment from the CHRONICLE.
“As owners of the centre, the company is committed to ensuring Comaro Crossing is an attractive retail destination for the community.
“Thank you Mr Lambe for raising concerns about certain issues. The beam outside the Bembom Coffee Shop has been fully repaired. Any delays experienced were unfortunately due to the processing of an insurance claim prior to repairs being authorised.
“The lift from the lower level outside Food Lover’s Market, in which we share Mr Lambe’s frustration with the delays on this project is because unfortunately, we were let down by the contractor who was appointed to make the necessary repairs. A new procurement process was initiated and is being finalised this week and we are confident that a replacement contractor will be on site to repair the lift by next week.
“In regard to the installation of the new ATMs, they are built according to our tenants’ (i.e. the banks’) specifications. The respective banks have strict specifications in place to ensure both the safety and security of these installations and we are happy that this facility meets their requirements.”
Van der Merwe added, “Although we have clearly marked designated parking for our disabled shoppers, some able-bodied shoppers have begun to disregard this and have parked their vehicles in this reserved space, forcing us to place cones in front of the bays as a deterrent. Following Mr Lambe’s complaint, we have asked both our security team and car guards to be more vigilant with regards to this area. We will also be placing signage on the kerbs near these bays requesting disabled shoppers requiring help with the removal of the cones to hoot for security staff or car guards to assist.”
At the time of going to press the CHRONICLE hadn’t received the structural engineer report, which will confirm that the ATM installation is in accordance with the specs provided by the banks.
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