THE future of the former Hyde Newsagency building has been clarified with plans to keep the shop frontage.

The current Hyde Newsagency shop was vacated by the previous tenants last month.

A company called 34 Hyde Street Limited has purchased the property and is looking for potential buyers to run a business there and to potentially live in the flat above as well.

Director of 34 Hyde Street Limited Guy Macklin, said that they were looking for someone with ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ to run their business from the property to benefit the local community.

Hampshire Chronicle: Artist impression of the front

A planning application is currently pending to retain the current shop frontage.

It will be up to the new owner to decide what sort of business they want to run from the premises.

They may want to continue it as a Newsagency or they may want to create something new.

Earlier this year, Hyde Street reopened after it was closed for a year to allow easier social distancing. This decision meant that less people were able to access the shop which would have seriously affected the business.

The new shop will aim to bring more people to that area of the city. However, the shop does hold sentimental value to many people as it has been a newsagency for a long time.

Guy explained that it was important to the company to keep the shop frontage has it has a longstanding legacy in the area, with a shop first opening at the property in 1894.

It was then acquired by Edith Best in 1925 and was managed by her son Leonard and then by his son, Eric.

The shop, which is at 34 Hyde Street, was closed during the war and when it reopened, it became a newsagency.