‘Turn old pubs into community hubs’
R● The vacant Croft pub, on Halton Lodge Avenue in Runcorn EADERS and a Halton urban spaces chief have offered their thoughts on what to do with Runcorn’s ‘ghost pubs’ – the former public houses which now lie empty or derelict around the town – and the barriers holding back their redevelopment.
The Tricorn in Palacefields, The Dray in Brookvale, Halton Brook’s Burma Star, The Old Transporter in The Brow, Shopping City’s Straw Hat and The Croft in Halton Lodge were all once abuzz with drinkers and hubs of social interaction, but gradually they all shut as drinking habits changed.
Now some are magnets for vandals and earlier this year The Dray car park was the scene of a robbery and a fight, in separate incidents investigated by the police.
Runcorn’s derelict pubs now stubbornly sit on the urban landscape as legacies of what comedian John Bishop famously remarked about the thinking behind the New Town, to give each neighbourhood its own ‘shop, a chippy and a pub, because we don’t need anything else’, and although empty pubs can be found dotted around Halton, the phenomenon is particularly prevalent in east Runcorn.
Plans for some have either been filed or are in the pipeline.
In February a certificate of alternative development was granted to convert The Dray into shops, and Plus Dane housing filed plans in June to demolish The Old Transporter as part of a wider project to bulldoze Tanhouse flats and build houses instead.
Meanwhile some pubs have been built and opened, albeit ● ● The former Dray pub in Brookvale with a more family-orientated emphasis than their predecessors.
In Murdishaw, the Halton Arms has been replaced by The Queen Of Hearts, and family pub and restaurant Ten Lock Flight has opened at the former Crosville bus depot on Bridgewater Expressway.
Cllr Ron Hignett (physical environment) said some of the main challenges are land banking, whereby developers keep hold of land in the hope the value will increase, and a lack of powers or funding for councils to intervene.
He said some pubs have gone under because of increased competition from home entertainment such as television streaming services, and punters have ● also been put off by the ‘crazy’ price of a pint in some pubs.
Another issue deterring developers is the relatively small size of the plots and the lack of support in preparing land for redevelopment. He said land banking often leads to the land decreasing in value because empty buildings become magnets for vandalism, while council powers are limited.
He said: “People start to land bank hoping that the value will go up in the short term but when it doesn’t the problem is that land gets ruined, gets vandalism.
“We have lots of anti-social behaviour in derelict places.
“It attracts unsavoury people and the land goes down in price.
“Another reason is some lack of demand for pubs now there’s home entertainment like Sky TV and Netflix.”
He added: “These breweries have moral responsibility not just to walk away from these places, but surely to make them safe.
“If there was a scheme from the Government to give us powers to make the place safe before they leave it then that would help.
“At the moment as far as I know the only time we can do anything is if it becomes a danger, but we want to stop it becoming a danger in the first place.
“If the Government gave us those powers it would help.
“People of all political persuasions have been asking for this for a few years.
“We do have the powers to sometimes CPO (compulsory purchase order) them but we have to have a (planned development) scheme in place and if noone co-operates then it’s very difficult to CPO them.
“If the Government would make them easier then it might help.
“The law is very tight around that.
“Another reason people don’t want to invest is some of the sites are very small – the old pubs were built between houses and you can’t get many houses on there.”
Readers have suggested what they would like to see done with the empty pubs.
Catherine Ford said they could be used as youth clubs, while Gillian Bradshaw and Rob Hughes both said they could be used to house the homeless.
Jen Cosgrove said Runcorn ‘needs more of everything’ but called for somewhere for young people and older residents to interact.
Emma Munro said the vacant Burma Star in Halton Brook could be turned into a children’s play centre.
She said: “The pub in Halton Brook should be converted into something like Jellybeans with a section for teenagers to go and do stuff as well charge a couple of quid entry and small fee for drinks and snacks.”
Jens Page said: “Maybe offer them to local charities who could find some use for them that will help support the community.”
Barbara Pollock said: “Perhaps coffee and soft drinks for teenagers with indoor games then music one night.”
Mark Gannon called for housing, saying: “Knock down, make affordable housing. Simple.”
Bry Bennett said: “They could be turned into community hubs for young and old people, surprised these haven’t burnt down and the land turned to houses though.”
Richard Cosgrove called for more community centres, saying: “They always were and are typically situated in the heart of the communities.”
Kevin Horne blamed ‘ greed’ among Halton Council executives for what he said was a lack of available cash to fund alternative use, compounded by high rates.