NewRiver pubs: Surplus land sales 'will affect trade'

The Ashwood Inn, Dudley, had an application to sell part of its land rejected, but licensee Chris Miller said the sale was vital to the pub’s long-­term future.

However, a similar application was granted for the Crown Inn in the same town, with lessee Robin Wall telling the Publican’s Morning Advertiser the move would be bad for trade.

Both pubs were part of the £90m sale of 202 pubs from Marston’s to NewRiver Retail in November 2013. Miller said: “There are positives and negatives to selling. There will be fewer parking spaces but the sale makes the pub more profitable because of a reduced business rates bill.”

Some 45 residents wrote letters to Wordsley Council to oppose the sale. Miller continued: “My customers understand we need to sell the land for the pub to stay open. If it was closing, there would be hundreds of people fighting for us.”

NewRiver Retail said it was considering an appeal. Spokesman Martin Hughes said: “The rates are calculated on the entire scope of the property. If we sell part of the land, the rates can be reduced. Another benefit is convenience stores attract people. They might notice the pub and, until now, they wouldn’t have known it
was there.”

On the flip side, Crown Inn lessee Wall does not think selling land is in the pub’s best interest.

“They’re probably going to sell alcohol at the Co-op so I don’t think it’s going to help the trade,” Wall said.

The Crown Inn hosts private parties in its function room, which fills its car park with up to 50 vehicles. But Wall claimed the sell-off will leave the pub with just 11 spaces. He said: “There aren’t many pubs around here, they’ve dwindled away. The sale is not necessary, there are other shops nearby and our regulars are against it.”