“A row has broken out over the closure of a west London garden centre following its sale by one of the Prince of Wales’ charities.
The 30-year-old Fulham Garden Centre is set to close at the end of the month and is expected to be replaced by a pet supplies firm.
It is run by the youth charity Fairbridge, part of the Prince¹s Trust, which said it was leasing the site at a minimum of £75,000 a year to raise more funds.
Campaigners claim that the chief financial officer of the Prince¹s Trust, Amy Stirling, was appointed at the same time as she became a non-executive director of Pets at Home, the company tipped to take over the site. Residents fear it will build one of its warehouse-style stores and have appealed to Prince Charles to save the centre.
Pets at Home refused to comment but a source close to the company said it was not planning to construct a warehouse and that Ms Stirling had no involvement with negotiations over leasing the site.”