In another sign of the transition from industrial production to a service economy the long-awaited news that Reading's brewery would close came to fruition this weekend.
In a leader comment Reading Chronicle notes how this is part of the changing landscape, and that this will deal a blow to the long-held identity of the town which was based on the '3 B's' of 'Beer, Biscuits and Bulbs'.
Here the last crates of beer were loaded onto the lorries and sent out for sale
Thatcham's Paul Walter used to work at the Worton Grange site when it was owned by Courage and mourns the closure of the site. He says it is a 'shame' and a crime that the massive industrial buildings were only used for 30 years.
But fellow LibDem Cllr Warren Swaine is less nostalgic, despite the fact he admits he is no fan of crinking the real ale micro-breweries that are spreading produce.
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More on Save our Pubs!
Showing posts with label pubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pubs. Show all posts
Monday, 5 April 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Jolly Days
Reports that the Jolly Anglers riverside pub will now reopen are being met met with 'excitement' and speculation.
According to Facebookers the Jolly Anglers is scheduled to open at 11am on March 1st.
A spokesperson for L&J Partnership explained that the pub will operate without a tie to any major brewery and will be capable of running mini-festivals and music to suit the community.
LibDem candidate for Reading East and CAMRA member Cllr Gareth Epps previously called the green light to reopen the pub a "a massive victory for the local community" and said the campaign had been a "a spectacular success" which would prove a "victory of national significance."
Meanwhile Labour candidate Anneliese Dodds offered her support and agreed that the anti-competitive measures allowed by current law are "ripe for stamping out."
Adrian Windisch explains that the Green Party supports the CAMRA campaign to stop pub closures because of research showing 84% of people "believe a pub is as essential to village life as a shop or post office."
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More on the Save Our Pubs campaign
According to Facebookers the Jolly Anglers is scheduled to open at 11am on March 1st.
A spokesperson for L&J Partnership explained that the pub will operate without a tie to any major brewery and will be capable of running mini-festivals and music to suit the community.
LibDem candidate for Reading East and CAMRA member Cllr Gareth Epps previously called the green light to reopen the pub a "a massive victory for the local community" and said the campaign had been a "a spectacular success" which would prove a "victory of national significance."
Meanwhile Labour candidate Anneliese Dodds offered her support and agreed that the anti-competitive measures allowed by current law are "ripe for stamping out."
Adrian Windisch explains that the Green Party supports the CAMRA campaign to stop pub closures because of research showing 84% of people "believe a pub is as essential to village life as a shop or post office."
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More on the Save Our Pubs campaign
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
No Result For Jolly Anglers
Reports that negotiations to reopen the canal-side Jolly Anglers pub have collapsed have been confirmed.
West Berkshire Brewery said it will "remain very supportive of all efforts to re-open the Jolly Anglers," but it was stymied by undeclared licensing variations.
Current owner Enterprise Inns had surrended the property's licenses in the expectation that it could be developed for residential use and applied a restrictive covenant to ensure any future buyers used it for this purpose.
Reading East MP Rob Wilson, who previously announced a deal had been agreed, said
He added, "after the great news that Enterprise Inns' restrictive covenant has been lifted, I remain optimistic that this unavoidable hurdle will be cleared."
The cross-party campaign has been the source of a political infight in recent days and weeks as different parties have attempted to claim credit for making the decisive intervention.
Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson was roundly criticised for preempting the official announcement and misleading journalists that a deal had already been done.
Green Party candidate Rob White joined the chorus of disappointment, and attacked Mr Wilson's 'irresponsible' behaviour, explaining that it may have 'jeopardised' the negotiations.
Mr White was particularly angry with the nature of press releases issued by Mr Wilson and picked up unquestioningly by the local media.
However all sides insisted the fight to save the community hub will go on.
Meanwhile, with a new tenant yet to be announced the pub industry continues to face numerous challenges including wholesale market pricing and aggressive rent reviews.
According to a recent Good Pub Guide report the price of a pint may be as much as 20 pence more expensive in Berkshire than the national average.
Phil Gill, from Reading & Mid Berks CAMRA, explained that while this is partly due to local market expectations and "regional differences depending on the strength of demand," the lower number of independent 'free houses' in the county cannot be ignored as an important factor.
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Update: Commenting on the collapse of the deal Rob Wilson said, "This is really not a massive obstacle" as the pub "has the backing of the local community and is in a good position."
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More on local efforts to Save Our Pubs!
West Berkshire Brewery said it will "remain very supportive of all efforts to re-open the Jolly Anglers," but it was stymied by undeclared licensing variations.
Current owner Enterprise Inns had surrended the property's licenses in the expectation that it could be developed for residential use and applied a restrictive covenant to ensure any future buyers used it for this purpose.
Reading East MP Rob Wilson, who previously announced a deal had been agreed, said
"It's very unfortunate that licensing variations were not revealed before the agreement between the parties was reached. I can understand entirely why this presents an obstacle for those wishing to lease the premises."In a statement Cllr Gareth Epps (LibDem) claimed that despite the failure for a deal to be reached the lifting of the restrictive covenant was still "a victory of national significance."
He added, "after the great news that Enterprise Inns' restrictive covenant has been lifted, I remain optimistic that this unavoidable hurdle will be cleared."
The cross-party campaign has been the source of a political infight in recent days and weeks as different parties have attempted to claim credit for making the decisive intervention.
Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson was roundly criticised for preempting the official announcement and misleading journalists that a deal had already been done.
Green Party candidate Rob White joined the chorus of disappointment, and attacked Mr Wilson's 'irresponsible' behaviour, explaining that it may have 'jeopardised' the negotiations.
Mr White was particularly angry with the nature of press releases issued by Mr Wilson and picked up unquestioningly by the local media.
However all sides insisted the fight to save the community hub will go on.
Meanwhile, with a new tenant yet to be announced the pub industry continues to face numerous challenges including wholesale market pricing and aggressive rent reviews.
According to a recent Good Pub Guide report the price of a pint may be as much as 20 pence more expensive in Berkshire than the national average.
Phil Gill, from Reading & Mid Berks CAMRA, explained that while this is partly due to local market expectations and "regional differences depending on the strength of demand," the lower number of independent 'free houses' in the county cannot be ignored as an important factor.
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Update: Commenting on the collapse of the deal Rob Wilson said, "This is really not a massive obstacle" as the pub "has the backing of the local community and is in a good position."
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More on local efforts to Save Our Pubs!
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
MP Criticised For Media Manipulation
Reading East MP, Rob Wilson (Conservative) is facing an increasing barrage of criticism after he issued a press release prematurely claiming credit for the community campaign to save a local pub.
Local media outlets picked up the announcement and published reports repeating Mr Wilson's claims, which were subsequently picked up by Green party blogger Adrian Windisch.
Adrian notes that it is a grassroots and cross-party effort, but Mr Wilson claims he 'spearheaded' the campaign, despite not attending any meetings of the Jollydarity committee, nor appearing among the 227 members of the 'Save The Jolly Angler' facebook group.
Mr Wilson pre-emptively named the company which he says has already concluded negotiations, thereby putting a potential deal at risk, whilst also stating that the restrictive covenant placed on the sale of the property by current owners Enterprise Inns has been removed - a fact which is yet to be confirmed.
Reading Post removed an article (see here) it published online after receiving numerous complaints, replacing it with a short statement that the Jolly Anglers is 'rumoured' to be re-opening.
They quote West Berkshire Brewery spokesman Dave Maggs, who said, "Negotiations are ongoing and that is all I can say."
Meanwhile BBC Berkshire and Reading 107fm amended their articles after outraged campaigners got in contact, while Reading Chronicle undertook a complete rewrite to change the emphasis.
The Chronicle's Newsdesk quotes Mr Wilson's statement that he was "delighted that this has been resolved and we have saved a great British pub from disappearing," but adds a contradictory statement from WBW director Karen Baum, who said she was 'hopeful' a deal would be concluded, but that it was still too early to confirm anything at this stage.
LibDem parliamentary candidate Cllr Gareth Epps made an implicit attack on the man he hopes to unseat at the General Election, saying that any suggestion of the "pub reopening is only speculation at this stage, and it would be irresponsible to say anything that could put negotiations in jeopardy."
Oranjepan says:
Mr Wilson's desperate attempt to curry favour by providing local news organisations with a cheap and inaccurate headline has damaged his reputation and embarrassed editors.
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Background: Save Our Pubs!
Local media outlets picked up the announcement and published reports repeating Mr Wilson's claims, which were subsequently picked up by Green party blogger Adrian Windisch.
Adrian notes that it is a grassroots and cross-party effort, but Mr Wilson claims he 'spearheaded' the campaign, despite not attending any meetings of the Jollydarity committee, nor appearing among the 227 members of the 'Save The Jolly Angler' facebook group.
Mr Wilson pre-emptively named the company which he says has already concluded negotiations, thereby putting a potential deal at risk, whilst also stating that the restrictive covenant placed on the sale of the property by current owners Enterprise Inns has been removed - a fact which is yet to be confirmed.
Reading Post removed an article (see here) it published online after receiving numerous complaints, replacing it with a short statement that the Jolly Anglers is 'rumoured' to be re-opening.
They quote West Berkshire Brewery spokesman Dave Maggs, who said, "Negotiations are ongoing and that is all I can say."
Meanwhile BBC Berkshire and Reading 107fm amended their articles after outraged campaigners got in contact, while Reading Chronicle undertook a complete rewrite to change the emphasis.
The Chronicle's Newsdesk quotes Mr Wilson's statement that he was "delighted that this has been resolved and we have saved a great British pub from disappearing," but adds a contradictory statement from WBW director Karen Baum, who said she was 'hopeful' a deal would be concluded, but that it was still too early to confirm anything at this stage.
LibDem parliamentary candidate Cllr Gareth Epps made an implicit attack on the man he hopes to unseat at the General Election, saying that any suggestion of the "pub reopening is only speculation at this stage, and it would be irresponsible to say anything that could put negotiations in jeopardy."
Oranjepan says:
Mr Wilson's desperate attempt to curry favour by providing local news organisations with a cheap and inaccurate headline has damaged his reputation and embarrassed editors.
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Background: Save Our Pubs!
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Pub Giant Accused of Anti-Enterprise Attitude
The sudden announcement that a Reading pub is to be closed has resulted in campaigners from all political sides rallying round in attempt to save the popular community hub, The Jolly Angler.
An open Facebook group has been set up to keep interested individuals informed about developments.
Recent months have seen an amazing transformation under licensee John Westendorp from a business which had stagnated and was temporarily turned into a squat, into a thriving community facility noted for it's selection of specialist beers.
LibDem Greg Mullholland MP, who has been at the forefront of the national 'Save The Pub' campaign, described how "there are some pubcos closing pubs who want to cash in on a site... and we are fighting against uncaring, unhelpful - and all too often - ignorant councils."
He criticised pubcos for placing restrictive covenants on pubs and is pushing for changes to planning law, preventing corporate owners from applying for change of use without an overwhelming case and thereby forcing them to take their community responsibilities seriously.
Reading East parliamentary campaigner Cllr Gareth Epps supported his colleague's campaign efforts saying,
Even noted anti-alcohol campaigner, Labour's Anneliese Dodds, stated that she was appalled by the suddenness of the decision to close the real ale centre, while Green Party activist Rob White summed up by saying "There is a lot of enthusiasm not to turn it into housing... it’s part of the glue which holds Newtown together."
Reading Post has conducted several interviews all opposed to the the move by Enterprise Inns, but the editors clearly think there is still a need for some kind of celebrity endorsement.
Meanwhile locally-based TV chef and entrepreneur Anthony Worrall Thompson has got involved in efforts to amend the blanket smoking ban which he argues is excessive and is having an unecessarily detrimental effect on the pub business and has resulted in the unexpected side-effect of pushing smokers onto the pavements.
An open Facebook group has been set up to keep interested individuals informed about developments.
Recent months have seen an amazing transformation under licensee John Westendorp from a business which had stagnated and was temporarily turned into a squat, into a thriving community facility noted for it's selection of specialist beers.
LibDem Greg Mullholland MP, who has been at the forefront of the national 'Save The Pub' campaign, described how "there are some pubcos closing pubs who want to cash in on a site... and we are fighting against uncaring, unhelpful - and all too often - ignorant councils."
He criticised pubcos for placing restrictive covenants on pubs and is pushing for changes to planning law, preventing corporate owners from applying for change of use without an overwhelming case and thereby forcing them to take their community responsibilities seriously.
Reading East parliamentary campaigner Cllr Gareth Epps supported his colleague's campaign efforts saying,
"This local example highlights a set of wider issues that require action from local and national Government. It is time that good community pubs were cherished, before they are gone forever."Conservative blogger Wat Tyler is also saddened by the closure and agrees that it's time for the council to get assertive.
Even noted anti-alcohol campaigner, Labour's Anneliese Dodds, stated that she was appalled by the suddenness of the decision to close the real ale centre, while Green Party activist Rob White summed up by saying "There is a lot of enthusiasm not to turn it into housing... it’s part of the glue which holds Newtown together."
Reading Post has conducted several interviews all opposed to the the move by Enterprise Inns, but the editors clearly think there is still a need for some kind of celebrity endorsement.
Meanwhile locally-based TV chef and entrepreneur Anthony Worrall Thompson has got involved in efforts to amend the blanket smoking ban which he argues is excessive and is having an unecessarily detrimental effect on the pub business and has resulted in the unexpected side-effect of pushing smokers onto the pavements.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Shock At Jolly Angler Closure
A talk on 'vanishing Newtown' will be held at the Palmer Park coffee morning from 10-11am today, just as news reaches us that another community hub has been closed prior to an application for redevelopment.
The Jolly Angler is now closed for business and could eventually be lost forever if it is converted into housing.
Following the managerial uncertainties experienced by the canalside establishment in recent years and an aborted attempt to sell the lease, spokesperson Vicky Averis said Enterprise Inns were committed to the success of the traditional workingman's pub and had no plans to sell.
With John Doughty installed as publican the future had looked brighter, but Enterprise Inns (who held the freehold) rejected firm offers to turn it into an independently-managed and owned business, preferring instead to sell it to an unnamed developer who was able to hide their identity by acting through a holding company.
In a statement CAMRA campaigner and LibDem PPC Cllr Gareth Epps said,
Green Party activist Rob White expressed his shock after belatedly discovering only a day earlier that the pub was under threat. The teetotaller offered his strongest assurance that he would be doing all he could to help the pub re-open by lobbying councillors and council officials (among whom Cllr Epps will presumably be included).
Meanwhile, as the campaign to get enough council votes to reject the redevelopment proposal mounts, a distant prospect of saviour may come in the form of reality television producer Twofour Broadcast - who are looking to save a community pub and will transmit the results in a programme on new UKTV channel Blighty.
The Jolly Angler is now closed for business and could eventually be lost forever if it is converted into housing.Following the managerial uncertainties experienced by the canalside establishment in recent years and an aborted attempt to sell the lease, spokesperson Vicky Averis said Enterprise Inns were committed to the success of the traditional workingman's pub and had no plans to sell.
With John Doughty installed as publican the future had looked brighter, but Enterprise Inns (who held the freehold) rejected firm offers to turn it into an independently-managed and owned business, preferring instead to sell it to an unnamed developer who was able to hide their identity by acting through a holding company.
In a statement CAMRA campaigner and LibDem PPC Cllr Gareth Epps said,
"If Enterprise think or claim that they can gain planning permission for the closure of this pub, they can think again. They cannot shut successful community pubs at a whim. Corporate bullies such as Enterprise Inns are increasingly going to find that communities fight back in a united and positive way."Cllr Epps also described Enterprise Inns' treatment of their tenant leaseholder and the Newtown community as "outrageous".
Green Party activist Rob White expressed his shock after belatedly discovering only a day earlier that the pub was under threat. The teetotaller offered his strongest assurance that he would be doing all he could to help the pub re-open by lobbying councillors and council officials (among whom Cllr Epps will presumably be included).
Meanwhile, as the campaign to get enough council votes to reject the redevelopment proposal mounts, a distant prospect of saviour may come in the form of reality television producer Twofour Broadcast - who are looking to save a community pub and will transmit the results in a programme on new UKTV channel Blighty.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Cask Ale Week Kicks Off Pub Debate
Cllr Glenn Goodall marks 'National Beer Day' to advertise several of his favorite local pubs.
In recent times the pub industry has looked to be under increasing pressure as reports that 39 pubs are closing every week have hit the headlines.
But a coordinated campaign by the industry is helping them fight back. Over 200 MPs signed and supported a cross-party motion proposed by LibDem Colchester MP Bob Russell to 'save the pub' in Parliament today.
The British Beer and Pub Association is calling for a 5-point plan to be put into place. This includes:
- axing plans to increase beer tax further
- enforcing existing laws to deal firmly with irresponsible drinkers and premises - not to create new laws
- ending the irresponsible promotion of alcohol in supermarkets, pubs and elsewhere
- trusting responsible adults to make informed choices about what they drink, not punish them for the actions of an irresponsible minority
- supporting the British pub as a vital part of social life in local communities.
The Publican has published a very informative interview with LibDem leader Nick Clegg on the problems facing pubs, while ambitious local Conservative candidate Alok Sharma has supported the move as he hopes to take his petition "to every pub in the constituency".
Labour candidate Anneliese Dodds is noted for her consistently anti-alcohol stance.
Meanwhile Elizabeth Thomas considers how the pub is romaticised as part of a changing social landscape.
Matt Brady is more optimistic - arguing that "pubs are an important part of our national culture," he suggests popular pubs like The Kennet Arms will be always be hubs of local community while The Lamb in Satwell will adapt to survive - in this case under new management with a new wine list and a renewed emphasis on real ale.
Elsewhere Redlands LibDems recently explained some of the social problems facing communities as the King's Tavern license came up for review.
Oranjepan says:
It's tough balancing the interests of people and finance - I'll have a half!
In recent times the pub industry has looked to be under increasing pressure as reports that 39 pubs are closing every week have hit the headlines.
But a coordinated campaign by the industry is helping them fight back. Over 200 MPs signed and supported a cross-party motion proposed by LibDem Colchester MP Bob Russell to 'save the pub' in Parliament today.
The British Beer and Pub Association is calling for a 5-point plan to be put into place. This includes:
- axing plans to increase beer tax further
- enforcing existing laws to deal firmly with irresponsible drinkers and premises - not to create new laws
- ending the irresponsible promotion of alcohol in supermarkets, pubs and elsewhere
- trusting responsible adults to make informed choices about what they drink, not punish them for the actions of an irresponsible minority
- supporting the British pub as a vital part of social life in local communities.
The Publican has published a very informative interview with LibDem leader Nick Clegg on the problems facing pubs, while ambitious local Conservative candidate Alok Sharma has supported the move as he hopes to take his petition "to every pub in the constituency".
Labour candidate Anneliese Dodds is noted for her consistently anti-alcohol stance.
Meanwhile Elizabeth Thomas considers how the pub is romaticised as part of a changing social landscape.
Matt Brady is more optimistic - arguing that "pubs are an important part of our national culture," he suggests popular pubs like The Kennet Arms will be always be hubs of local community while The Lamb in Satwell will adapt to survive - in this case under new management with a new wine list and a renewed emphasis on real ale.
Elsewhere Redlands LibDems recently explained some of the social problems facing communities as the King's Tavern license came up for review.
Oranjepan says:
It's tough balancing the interests of people and finance - I'll have a half!
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