Latest news from the North Dalton Community Pub Group
Community pledges – Thank you!
In our last update we invited you to make a pledge that you would be willing to invest to help finance a community buy-out of the Star Inn. We received a very positive response and some very generous pledges – so thank you. People’s willingness to support this initiative shows just how deeply the whole community cares about preserving our pub, and it’s given us confidence that a community purchase would be a viable way to secure the long-term future of the Star.
That being said, the situation has evolved, and so we are writing now to update you on the latest developments and next steps.
A potential new buyer
In our last update we mentioned that we had learned of a potential new buyer of the Star. Shortly after the current owners obtained planning permission to develop the Star into 4 apartments, a café, bar and shop, they informed us that they had received an offer from an individual named Mark Spencer.
We have always said that we would welcome a new owner who was committed to retaining the Star as a viable village pub, so on 14th August, members of the Community Pub Group met Mark Spencer, along with the current owners, to understand his plans for the Star.
In summary, he said:
- He likes to buy ‘failing pubs’, which he then partially develops for residential use in order to recoup his investment. He would request a change to the current planning consent in order to create 2 houses instead of the 4 apartments. His intention would be to sell these houses.
- The remainder of the building upstairs would be turned into a small apartment for a tenant or manager and 3 letting rooms. The remainder of the downstairs would be retained as a pub. He has no plan to develop a shop.
- Mark Spencer was clear that he would not himself spend much, if any, time at the Star because he spends most of his time in Spain. The pub would be run either by a manager or tenant.
- He would expect The Star to serve ‘pub grub’ meals, and for it to be open during the day as well as evenings. He would expect it to be a family-friendly kind of pub.
- He claimed to be able to open the pub within a couple of weeks of the purchase.
- We raised with him our concerns about the viability of a much smaller pub and the much more limited parking resulting from the residential development. He did not perceive either of these to be a problem. Regarding parking, he said that if people wanted to visit the pub, they’d find somewhere to park elsewhere in the village.
- We asked him for examples of other pubs he owns which are successfully operating. He was unable or unwilling to provide us with this information.
- We were also told that the owners were planning to appeal the original planning rejection regarding building a house on the car park, and would ask for an increase to the price in that case.
We were grateful for this opportunity to meet Mark Spencer, and we saw much that was positive in his vision for the pub. On the other hand, clearly, he is primarily a developer, and seemed to have little interest in the Star beyond its potential to make him money. His refusal to provide a single example of another pub he owns gave us concern.
However, we did secure his commitment to include a covenant in the contract of sale which would preserve the remaining parts of the building as a pub – an important protection.
So what did this mean for us?
Community bids like ours are funded by local people to preserve a service, like a pub, that might otherwise be lost. They are entrusted with local people’s money, and they have a duty to use it wisely. Community pubs are run on a non-profit basis, and unlike a commercial developer they can’t sell off chunks of the building to recover their costs.
Generally, when community bids are successful, it is because the sellers share those ambitions and are willing to accept a lower offer than a commercial developer could make. Sadly, in spite of our best efforts, this has not been the case here.
Thanks to all your generous pledges, we knew we could raise a decent sum of money, but we also knew that we could not reasonably ask you to invest without being able to give you confidence that a bid would succeed, i.e. that the owners would sell to us.
On 21st August, having been asked to make our position clear, we wrote to the owners formally confirming our intention to make an offer matching or exceeding that which they had received from Mark Spencer, but that in return we would need to be able to give you assurance that such a bid would be accepted – i.e. that the community bid would be their preferred bidder.
This was re-stated in another email on 23rd August. We received no response. That being the case, we saw little prospect of success for a community buyout at the moment.
Therefore, on the morning of 28th August, we wrote to the owners again with an alternative. We have never sought to block or delay a sale for the sake of it, and so we offered to exit the process and make way for Mark Spencer.
Particularly, we would withdraw our Expression of Interest. This would allow ERYC to end the moratorium period so that a sale could go ahead immediately, rather than waiting until November. The new owner would have our full support in establishing the pub on a sustainable footing.
On the other hand, we remained interested potential buyers, and we assured the owners that – should they decide not to sell to Mark Spencer – we would be happy to discuss a community offer once again.
The situation today
On 1st September, we received an email from the owners stating that, on the afternoon of 28th August, Mark Spencer had withdrawn his offer “blaming the tactics and confrontational attitude of the village.”
Considering that we had already offered to withdraw the Expression of Interest and give Mark Spencer our full support, you can draw your own conclusions about that supposed ‘confrontational attitude’..!
Throughout the last six months, we have sought to engage constructively with the owners in putting forward a community bid. In that time, we have received no indication from the owners that such a bid would be successful, and that remains the case.
Without the support of the owners, we cannot reasonably ask you to invest – it wouldn’t be fair, and it wouldn’t be right. We still believe that a community buyout is the best thing for our whole village, and we hope that the owners will come to see that too.
If so, we’ll be ready.
In the meantime, as we’re no longer actively pursuing a bid, we’re still going to withdraw the Expression of Interest. Any genuine buyer will have our full support. We’ll look at any planning applications on their own merits, and we’ll support them if they help to secure the future of the pub.
Whatever happens, we know how much the Star Inn means to this village, and we hope to see you all soon at the bar. Cheers!
Your neighbours,
Di McNeish (acting Chair); Claire Clayphan (acting treasurer); Chris Wade; Ian Sainty; Christian Mackintosh; Peter Robinson; Sara Scott; Kerry Armstrong; Ray Williams; Angie Ndow; Rupert Harrison
North Dalton Community Pub Ltd.
Society Number: 8424
Address for Correspondence: c/o The Village Hall, North Dalton, YO25 9UX
T: 07858 262458 | E: communitypubgroup@northdalton.org