TV News Coverage - click on Full Post for link
Thanks to the sterling efforts of John Grantham, an account of the plight of The Three Cups Hotel and other licenced premises left derelict by Palmers Brewery has been broadcast on BBC TV.
BBC Spotlight featured a news item on 26/03/09 about John Grantham's campaign, "Community Alert on Pubs", and showed the shocking state of dilapidation into which the The Three Cups has descended. Click here to watch the video clip.
It was good to see and hear Marcus Dixon of the Lyme Regis Development Trust talking about the potential for the building to be re-opened so that it can add to the commercial life of Lyme Regis instead of being an eyesore and a wasted opportunity.
A study centre for natural history is just one of many uses which would bring visitors to Lyme Regis requiring accomodation. Let's not forget the literary connections and the huge potential for cultural tourism which could put Lyme Regis on the map with Stratford upon Avon and Wordsworth's Cottage in The Lake District.
BBC Spotlight featured a news item on 26/03/09 about John Grantham's campaign, "Community Alert on Pubs", and showed the shocking state of dilapidation into which the The Three Cups has descended. Click here to watch the video clip.
It was good to see and hear Marcus Dixon of the Lyme Regis Development Trust talking about the potential for the building to be re-opened so that it can add to the commercial life of Lyme Regis instead of being an eyesore and a wasted opportunity.
A study centre for natural history is just one of many uses which would bring visitors to Lyme Regis requiring accomodation. Let's not forget the literary connections and the huge potential for cultural tourism which could put Lyme Regis on the map with Stratford upon Avon and Wordsworth's Cottage in The Lake District.
2 Comments:
Palmers Brewery is a private company who has to be financially viable. The public cannot force an owner into selling a property just because it wants it. I am sure Palmers have a great deal more knowledge of the pub industry than Mr Grantham!
Great to have an input from a different perspective. We’re hoping too the Palmers Board and their property agents, Humberts Commercial of Yeovil, will attend the Public Meeting on 24th April at 7.15pm at the Electric Palace, Bridport to help us appreciate their thinking and to discuss the various points you make.
It is true that my time working in the beer/pub industry was limited. But my Unilever training leads me to be still puzzled and perplexed as to how the financial viability of a company can be enhanced by leaving arguably the finest and most prominent building in Lyme Regis to dilapidate and rot for nearly 20 years, causing cost, and writing off all possible revenue for 2 decades, gaining the (I find from going down the shops in Lyme) absolute puzzlement of the town, and depressing the local town economy, losing out on parking places, and affecting tourism and the employment level. Sorry, I remain just completely puzzled. Maybe it’s just me……
And to lose out on the heritage of JRR Tolkien, GK Chesterton, Jane Austen, Lord Tennyson, scenes of the ‘French Lieutenant’s Woman’ and much more is just enormously difficult for us to understand, not to mention the adverse effect on tourism..
To just shut down the Old Swan in Toller Porcorum and refuse to re-open it when the local councils apparently wanted it open, and the Govt Inspector pronounced it to in fact be viable, and to refuse to talk with the villagers about it and to let it dilapidate and rot for a decade – that too frankly simply just puzzles me through and through, and does not stack up with my own career’s experience of promoting financial viability….especially as for the last decade The Old Swan has only incurred cost and no revenue. This shut-down has arguably also had an adverse effect on the very local economy, employment levels, tourists to Kingcombe, local house prices and certainly community life. But what am I missing?
Here’s an idea anyway….why not step out of being ‘Mr/Mrs Anonymous’ and let me drive you to look at the current condition of the Three Cups, the Old Swan and the White Hart? Let’s talk with some of the residents nearby about how they feel. And I would love to do this with the Board of Palmers and to engage in interactive discussion. (I have offered to drive them to the Three Cups and Old Swan). Or through democratic debate perhaps the Directors will persuade us all of some missing ‘truth’ that we have simply overlooked….such as that we are panicking about the condition of the Three Cups and that it is actually in perfectly good condition, and needs no attention until ‘the economic climate’ improves. My eyes tell me this is not the case but perhaps I’m missing something?
In the meantime I would welcome a blow-by-blow response from ‘Anonymous’ on my points above as I do genuinely remain just very, very puzzled! Or please just phone me on 07990-583167 and we’ll take a trip over to two or three of the eyesores.
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