He’s at it again!

Mr Barmby seems determined to ruin village life.

Did Mr Barmby make a mistake (or was he just being bloody-minded) when he bought The Thorold Arms in the full knowledge that: a) there was (and is) an Asset of Community Value (ACV) registration on the pub; and b) there was (and is) a well organised and funded local group wanting to buy the pub with a sound and well thought out business plan to run it as a community business?

• Mr Barmby bought the pub for £185,000 when the community could have bought it unopposed at auction for about £150,000.
• He then applied to turn the pub into a house. Permission was rightly refused because the community wants a pub and shop.
• He has now re-applied to turn it into a house.

At an initial glance it appears that this new planning application has not changed from the previous one, but there is an additional document, the Justification Statement which tries to prove that the pub is not viable as a pub and village shop.

This is a palpable, total nonsense as many pubs, within the area, so amply demonstrate. Additionally they are all run as private businesses. Our community business model has an even better chance of being successful as the recent Plunkett Foundation research documents prove. So far no community owned pub has ever failed.

It should also be noted that the planning “Justification Statement” states that part of the flat roofed area of the pub is to be demolished to “enlarge the garden area”. As if the house would need more garden – it’s already got a huge garden!

What this really means is “to provide a small garden area”, because, of course, the garden and car park are earmarked for further development. How many houses do you think he would try to squeeze into that area?

Redeveloping the pub as a house has no profit or only minimal profit in it. The profit would come from the additional houses squeezed into the site. What would you like? A well run community owned pub, café, shop, and small B&B or some more housing in a village with no community heart left in it.

The choice is yours!

Please prepare your objections, which should be submitted to SKDC by 23rd August 2017. Although we will request an extension to this deadline as many villagers may be away on holiday. The full Planning Application is available on SKDC’s website and it is application number S17/1307.

Please keep the faith!

We should not be bullied into losing our vital community asset.