Pub near Alton Towers to shut and become a family home
OWNER SAID IT HAS FACED ‘LONG LINE OF FINANCIAL WOES’
A PUB near Alton Towers looks set to be closed permanently and turned into a family home.
Owner Dennis Power has applied to turn The Blacksmiths Arms, in Alton, into a house and cease trading. It has traded as a pub since February 14, 1989 – but planners could now give the green light to end that era.
It was once popular with tourists, but, according to planning documents, has faced a “long line of financial hardships”, with the pandemic being merely the latest blow.
A planning application has been submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. Mr Power, who lives above the pub, wrote to planners explaining the financial difficulties he has faced over the years.
The document reads: “Having been at the Blacksmiths since February 14, 1989, we now know that any significant financial loss due to a country or worldwide event would take a number of years and a good deal of investment to start being able to live financially comfortably again.
“This pandemic, unfortunately, has come at the end of a long list of significant financial hardships and so we feel that to push on would be totally reckless.
“To begin with, it would take a large cash injection just to get up and running initially, with additional costs for some years ahead, as we already have prior debts getting further loans would be difficult and would also be counter productive.
“Alton Towers was a thriving theme park when we first came here and trade was very good indeed. We used to be open during the day in the week, we were surrounded by B&BS and a large motel which supported our business and six other pubs in the village.
“However, that started to decline after Alton Towers started building hotels and making evening restaurants for their guests – and now becoming a huge resort encouraging their guests to stay onsite.
“Over time, B&BS started decreasing and our night-time trade was diminishing.
“We’ve managed our way through one small recession followed by the global financial crash, and before 2020 we had already made cutbacks on key members of staff and adjusting our business model on numerous occasions to suit the times.
“In 2015, Alton Towers had a devastating incident, which hit the local pubs and B&B’S hard, in what should have been our busiest time of the year the village was completely empty.”
It was the worst accident in the history of Alton Towers.
Four people were seriously injured in a malfunction o the Smiler ride. Two young women had to have legs amputated while a young man broke two kneecaps. Alton Towers’ owners, Merlin, admitted being at fault and a £5 million fine was imposed by the courts after the incident and the victims were given huge compensation payouts.
A judge described it as a “catastrophic failure”.
“Alton Towers shut,” recalled Mrs Power, “and, for a few years, their trade had decreased.
“We tried to make the most of the quiet time, upcycling furniture and trying to drum up as much trade as possible.
“It started to pick up again, but by no means anything like it used to be, and so we took out a loan to update our tired and, in some parts, nonexisting signage.
“It helped a little, but by now our business was 30 years old and needs much more than new signs – the investment needed to make our pub on a par with the four pubs who all have new owners.
“To match the fully refurbished pubs in the village would take a significant cash injection and we know of no lenders who would be willing to take on such an investment during these unprecedented times.”
Mr Power said that in 2016, he was forced to let all his full-time staff go and that the business has been up for sale for three years – but had no interest.
“We feel that over the years we have poured everything in to the business to keep it afloat, but we feel that even with a cash injection the village cannot withstand four pubs and a community pub any longer,” he added. “The pub is also our family home and we feel that adapting the property would be best.”
A decision is expected by planners within the next eight weeks.
The pandemics has come at the end of a long list if hardships and so we feel that to push on would be totally reckless.
Dennis Power