County pubs earmarked for £700k in upgrades
CLOSED INN WILL REOPEN AS PART OF FIRM’S MAJOR INVESTMENT
PUBS in Nottinghamshire are in line for upgrades worth a total of £709,000 as part of Heineken’s investment of more than £39m in 600 alehouses across the UK this year.
The firm’s pub arm, Star Pubs & Bars, has revealed a number of projects, saying it demonstrates its confidence in the resilience of the great British local in the face of global uncertainty.
The move will create an estimated 1,075 new jobs. Over £2.9m is allotted to East Midlands pub investments with a further £422,000 invested by licensees. Nearly 90 jobs will be created in the region on the back of the refurbishments.
The biggest spend in Notts will revamp a rundown pub that has been closed since December 2019. A total of £406,000 will be spent on getting the The Manvers Arms, in Main Road, Radcliffe-on-trent, up to scratch. Work is scheduled to start at the end of the summer, with the pub due to open in the autumn, creating six jobs.
The White Lion, in Bingham, is to undergo a £163,000 refurbishment in the summer. The upgrade is subject to recruitment but due to interest, Star Pubs & Bars are confident it will go ahead. Two smaller projects will refresh Headstocks in Bulwell and Park Tavern in Basford.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director, said: “People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out, such as sports screenings and entertainment. Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together.
“Pubs have proved their enduring appeal; after all the disruption of recent years, Star is on track to have the lowest number of long-term closed pubs since 2019.
“It’s a tribute to the drive and entrepreneurship of licensees and the importance of continued investment. We’ve spent more than £200m maintaining and upgrading our pubs over the last five years, and we’ll continue to invest to keep them open and thriving.
“Time and again we see the value consumers place on having a good local and how important it is to communities. Well-invested pubs run by great licensees are here to stay, but like all locals, need Government support to reduce the enormous tax burden they shoulder.”
Over the border in Derbyshire, Star Pubs & Bars are planning a £650,000 refurbishment of the Punch Bowl, in West Hallam, subject to recruitment. It would extend the trading space in the pub to provide 130 covers and add a new kitchen and accessible toilets.