DOZENS of Winchester retail businesses have broken ranks to slam the proposed Silver Hill development - warning it will destroy the historic high street.

The chief executive of the Business Improvement District says his professional organisation backs controversial plans to transform a quarter of the city's historic centre.

But 42 of its over 800-strong membership have this week written a blunt open letter to Winchester City Council leader Rob Humby, in which they blast the £150m project.

They include local heavy-weight businesses such as Andrew Smith & Sons, Bang & Olufson, Fox & Sons and Strutt & Parker.

In their letter, some of the region's top retail experts explain how they believe the development would be to the detriment of Winchester: “By drawing the prime pitch away from the High Street, the oldest and one of the most successful in the country, to Silver Hill, the proposal will damage the heart of the city and the vitality of all the existing retail activity in and around the High Street.

“We are the people who experience retail trade every day of the week.

“We know how difficult business can be and the changes and stresses caused by online retailing.

“We are the people on the ground and we understand what our customers want. It is not the current Silver Hill proposal.”

Alex Edwards, who has owned boutique Cadogan and Co in The Square for over 20 years, explained why he had signed the letter.

“I don't think we have the infrastructure to deal with a lot more shops,” he said.

“Look at the effect the Christmas Market has on Winchester; my customers say they have to queue for two hours to get into the city.”

Mr Edwards said he thought developer Henderson would fill the 27 new shops which form part of the proposed regeneration if they offered a “reverse premium”, and effectively paid people to move into Silver Hill.

“A lot of people might leap at it, but it might drain a lot of life out of the High Street, which would be rather a shame.

Paul Moore, whose jeweller Loot has been established in the city for 33 years, was also worried that the city centre could end up with a surfeit of retail.

“The Brooks has never been full, it hasn't worked. I think the same will happen to Silver Hill.”

“Winchester is an attractive place to come to for an experience, but not necessarily a retail one.”

Winchester Cllr Kim Gottlieb, who is spearheading the campaign to prevent the development, said: “This reflects the depth of feeling of antipathy towards Silver Hill from retailers and businesses on the ground who know what is really going on.

“They can see the plain fact that Silver Hill will result in the death of this historic High Street.”

In a statement Chris Turner, chief executive of Winchester BID, said: “The Winchester BID represents over 800 business premises in the city and tries hard to reflect business needs of the whole city. We have had two public meetings on Silver Hill - with over 140 members attending, and our Board has a majority of independent members, with two specifically from the independent retail sector.

“It is clearly difficult to develop an overwhelming consensus with so many different voices but the view of the board of the BID is that the Silver Hill area is a desperately-run down part of the city that needs reviving and reviving fast.

“It is almost a quarter of the City centre and the proposals will transform that area, with new retail outlets and housing, with a large amount of new and exciting public space.

“The city has competed well with other cities, but all the analysis is that we lack some key iconic retail units that bring people to shop and that without that refreshing we will cease to be the destination that we are at the moment. New players like Rick Stein and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are coming to Winchester because it is embracing the new and planning for its future; we have waited 18 years for Silver Hill to be redeveloped and the BID board is keen that we have to wait no longer.”