The company agreed yesterday (Monday 9 November) to give the Caroline of Brunswick a new contract in November 2017, following the pub’s lengthy campaign to stay open, according to local paper The Argus.
Brighton MP Caroline Lucas also joined the campaign to save the pub in December 2016.
A ‘nice surprise’
Leaseholder Cliff Barnes told The Morning Advertiser (MA) that the news came as a “nice surprise”.
On the pub campaign’s Facebook page, Save the Caz!, users posted congratulatory messages once the news was announced.
‘A badge of honour’
Barnes told the MA the pub had also submitted an application for assets of community value (ACV) status and was waiting for the council to approve it.
He added: “It would be a badge of honour."
"We're not just your average normal pub that can be replaced without people kicking up a fuss."
‘No intention of closing’
Last month, Punch CEO Duncan Garrood claimed that Punch had “no intension” of closing the Caroline of Brunswick and claimed it was a “hub” of cultural, music and comedy entertainment in the city.
Garrood added that the pub was either going to be operated under the company’s Falcon model, which allows licensees to have an open-ended time frame as well as a percentage of turnover, or under a five-year tenancy agreement.
A Punch spokesperson was not available for comment.