to think use it or lose it?

[Songofsixpence]

Our village pub closed down last year. It's been struggling for years and years and had a steady stream of owners all trying to give it a go.

We live in a touristy area but the pub is just off the beaten track so isn't busy enough in the summer months to see it through the winter, and the locals don't use it enough to keep it afloat

The last owners sold it to someone who wants to convert the pub into a house and build another 2 houses on the land.

There's now huge uproar in the village and a campaign has been started to "save the heart of our village".

The old owners have been the subjected to some pretty vicious abuse for selling it and I've had an ear bashing from someone knocking at my door trying to get me to sign a petition and put in an objection to a planning application.

Now most of the people running this campaign and targeting the old owners hardly ever visited the pub when it was open, whenever the pub owners have tried to do events (live music occasionally, BBQs in the garden, that sort of thing) to generate more business there's endless complaining and objections. One set of owners wanted to extend the kitchen so they could do proper food, but there were loads of objections.

I asked the man at the door if he ever went in the pub and was told "oh, no, I haven't been in there for years".

None of these people are prepared to step up and run the pub themselves and hardly any of them actually went in there. Various owners have tried for years and years to make a go of it but it's just not sustainable. The village just isn't big enough and we're a bit out of the way

It's sad another pub will be gone for good, we used to go in there quite a bit and it was a lovely pub, but people can't/won't keep throwing good money after bad so there's little wonder it's closed.

I'd rather see it turn into housing that sit there boarded up

YANBU. It's a case of "be careful what you wish for".

Near me the NIMBY lot succeeded in persuading the council not to build a school nearby. Traffic was a major objection. So instead it looks like the land will be sold to developers and used for housing, quite possibly high density. That means that instead of having traffic issues twice a day during term time, we'll soon have it constantly, 365 days a year.

YANBU - They didn't use it and now they are losing it. It's their own fault and a bit late for them to be up in arms about it.

it's a case of "be careful what you wish for".

Definitely! I don't think they're so bothered about the pub closing, more they don't want more houses built. If keeping the pub was so important, why start campaigning now? The pub shut 5 months ago

Round here there's a chronic shortage of housing. The land is quite big and if the pub was completely knocked down could fit a fair amount of houses.

As it is they just want to convert the pub and put a pair of semis on there.

Looking at all the successful pubs round here, they all offer something else, just being a pub isn't always enough these days. Good food, B&B, live music, etc. This little band have succeeding in stopping anything like that happening and now they're whingeing

If the land has been bought by a builder then he's almost already sure he has outline planning permission so there wrath is a bit late.

YANBU but on the other hand this is what happens all the time to village pubs, shops and other amenities especially when townies move into villages but continue their social life further afield.

Nowt you can do about it so I'd save your energy and emotions for other stuff.

Yanbu. What annoying people!!!

This sounds very much like the pub in the next village up the road to us. In a touristy area but off the beaten track a bit. It's also had a stream of previous owners over recent years all of who eventually had to throw in the towel. This particular pub is also up for sale for development. Which isn't popular!

YANBU because actually, if the locals aren't prepared to support a pub then it'll close. Years back our local pub was well used. It isn't nowadays. I realise that this is a societal change to some extent but we still have popular viable pubs in the area. Many of which are also off the beaten track and buried in little villages. They're mainly kept going by good food and a range of events that bring people out of town.

Quite honestly, your village has shown it doesn't warrant a pub. Their fault so absolutely there's no high ground to try and occupy now!

I live in a small town and lots of pubs have closed. The one local to me closed about 4 years ago and is now very run down. There is a lot of land behind it and it has been sold to developers who are going to build A LOT of houses on the land. Traffic is going to be horrendous.

For the past 2 years there has been an online campaign to save the pub, because the developers are going to knock it down.

It closed down because nobody used it. It changed hands about 5 times and each time the new tenants left because it was losing money as nobody drank in it

The protestors want it made into a listed building to stop it being knocked down and reopened - what is the point as they will wont use it.

It really annoys me all the bleating about saving the pub but none of them bloody used it.