Porters saved from demolition
A MACCLESFIELD licensee who was turned into a virtual computer game hero to save her pub from demolition has been given an extra life after the developers backed down.
Plans for a new square, unveiled by developer Wilson Bowden as part of the redevelopment of Macclesfield town centre, had included the Porters, which is nearly 150 years old.
Now it has been saved following "overwhelming support" from the pub¹s customers and the success of manager Catherine Higginbotham's Save the Porters campaign.
Catherine said: "I don¹t think they were expecting quite so many people would be so upset about it. They were bombarded. Customers from all over the world who have been here before got on board. It was overwhelming."
The licensee, who has managed the pub for seven years, said the online computer game, which was developed by a loyal customer and features a cartoon of Catherine fighting off the developers, played a huge part in saving the pub.
She said: "That definitely helped. It got us in The Sun, Metro and, of course, The Publican. I would never have thought of it. I played Chucky Egg on the computer at school but that¹s it." Now Catherine will host a party on Tuesday to celebrate. "It was going to be a Save the Porters party but now it¹s a Porters is Saved party. All the tickets have already sold out. I¹m very excited," she said.
Punch Taverns, which owns the pub, fully supported the campaign to save the Porters. A spokesman said: "The local support for the campaign was tremendous and we are delighted with the decision that will allow one of the town¹s most historic pubs to remain open." As a result of the campaign Wilson Bowden instructed its architects to consider a design solution to retain the Porters.
Development manager Emma Newman said: "The original proposals were presented as a preferred design solution; they were by no means a final design. The reaction surrounding the loss of the pub has prompted us to look at alternative solutions. The design that forms a part of the planning application will reflect the retention of the Porters."
