A while ago, I wrote an entry about how I met a group of folk from the northern part of Eastbourne who were trying to save their local pub from being turned into a supermarket.
They failed.
We used the Localism Bill (2011) to register the pub as an asset of community value which meant that Punch Taverns couldn't sell the building, or offer a lease of more than 25 years on it without giving the community group a chance to bid for the building.
This week we've learned that the pub (in supermarket clothing) building is going for auction. Further, that the vendors (who I assume are still Punch Taverns) have not notified Eastbourne Council that they intend to dispose of the building.
Then, looking into the terms of the lease granted to Co-op it seems they have a 15 year lease, with an option to extend by a further 10 years at the end of that period. In other words, they have a 25 year lease on the building.
One of two things have happened at Punch/Co-op's end.
1) They genuinely thought that the ACV only had action if the building stayed as a pub and that opening as a supermarket within the shoddy loophole in the planning legislation somehow negated the community's rights.
If they genuinely think this, then they are negligent in their understanding of specific legislation that affects the running of their businesses. Since both companies have had problems of late...maybe this is just one symptom of their wider incompetence.
2) They hoped no one would notice (actually, this is my bet for what happened). Oh look. We did.
In my eyes no amount of advertising of their ethical stance by not funding arms dealers can overcome my impression that Co-op are no better than Tesco in their willingness to fuck over the communities they say they serve, and whose money they are courting.
As for Punch Taverns - they remain the bottom-feeders they always have been...and I'm afraid I hope they go out of business.
No comments:
Post a Comment