‘No Other Option’
By Emma Harwood
A couple who want to demolish their 85-year-old pub and replace it with two houses and a café/bar have defended their plans, saying local objectors need to allow them to ‘move with the times.’
Steve and Steph Stone currently live above the Smuggler at Pett Level, but say it is bleeding money to the tune of almost £1 000 a month in business rates and would need hundreds of thousands spending on it to turn it into a viable, year-round enterprise.
The couple bought the pub – which faces north and whose front beer garden looks out on to a blind bend – four years ago from Steph’s grandfather Des Coleman, who had let it to a string of tenants for low rent over the previous 30 years.
However, and not surprisingly, considering the fact that Pett Level is lined with expensive, individually designed houses, most used as second or holiday homes, none could make it profitable and one was even bankrupted leaving unpaid debts and staff.
But despite hoping to keep it open while spending money on gradual improvements, the couple were forced to close it last year because they say locals and holidaymakers preferred to support the Beach Club down the road which offers lower price drinks in return for a £17 a year membership and, during the summer, a terrace which overlooks the beach.
Live music nights and a clutch of six or seven loyal regulars, they say, were not enough to draw in customers and keep their business afloat.
And having unsuccessfully tried to sell the crumbling building – which also has a back garden overlooking the beach, as well as an ice cream hut – with Fox and Sons estate agents, who estimated the value at £800,000, they now want to build two homes in its place. They would live in one and sell the other to fund the building of a new, low-level café which would be licensed and serve fish and seafood dishes.
According to their plans, the new building would be made from shipping containers with capacity for 42 people and a terrace overlooking the coast. It would be a third of the size of the current pub, which measures 252 square metres, and employ three members of staff. It would be open all day from 9 am-10.30 pm, and in their opinion, be a year-round attraction because of its new location and seafront views.
However, since the couple submitted the scheme in August, Pett Parish Council has applied to have the beleaguered pub – originally built to serve the needs of the now partially occupied beach front caravan park behind it – registered as an Asset of Community Value. It questions whether the pub couldn’t be viably run under the right management, citing comments from the pub’s previous tenants.
Susan Stoten and Stephen Roberts, of the Hastings Arms in George Street, wrote to clarify that in running the pub between 2013 and 2014, it was ‘thriving’ and their reasons for leaving the business ‘were not financial’ but ‘down to personal choice.’
One complainant, who said he’d lived in Pett Level for several years – Chris O’Donaghue of Marsh Cottage, Chick Hill, said, “if dog walkers – who do not live here -want a decent cup of coffee, then a decent landlord would make sure they could have one.”
“It seems to me to be obvious that the Smuggler is a community asset and should be kept as a pub.”
Another objector accused the Stones of deliberately over-pricing the building so as to ‘force a change of use’. Gary Kent of Coastguard Cottages, said: “I personally know of several businessmen who were very interested in purchasing the pub – but at a realistic price. How is £800,000 a realistic pricing strategy?”
“The village needs a pub, properly run, this would be a very profitable business….Pett Level is a very special place, do not let it turn into a ribbon development of ugly industrial type home (sic) for wealthy second homers.”
However, the Stones – who have amended the description of their new business from ‘café’ to ‘pub’ to appease objectors, claim they had offered the lease to local residents for just £22,000 a year to run as a co-operative but none wanted to take it on.
“A lot of locals have kicked up a fuss but they don’t know what it’s like trying to run a business here. A lot of these are second homes and those caravans are only occupied for six weeks of the year. We haven’t got any other option.” said Mr Stone.
“It needs to move with the times.” added his wife.
“Sitting looking out on a main road is not the most attractive prospect for customers.”
“We hope our new business would attract more local residents and people from outside of the area, all year round.”
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Emma, I think you may have been misled.
They purchased the building 2 years ago, not 4, (sept2016) for £294,959. they closed it immediately and put it up for sale 6 months later (March 2017) for £895,000!
It didn’t sell, because they have dramatically overpriced the business.
They ran the pub for a short period before they purchased it, were inexperienced and made the place most unwelcoming during that period, but…..still purchased it with every intention of shutting it.
There comment about the garden facing north (actually West) is true, but there was a substantial terrace facing the sea, that they closed, covered with turf, fenced it off and made into there own back garden. Out our meeting to discuss the planning application, over 100 villagers attended and all but 1 objected.
As to offering the lease to local residents? Well, thats the first time I have heard about that, so unlikely to be true.
We haven’t ‘kicked up a fuss’ we are horrified of the prospect of the heart being ripped out of our village so someone can make a quick buck!
As of today there are 115 comments on the planning application site. Every local response (except 1) is against the plan.
If you want to discuss and get a better view of what is happening in our village, please feel free to contact me.
Emma I wouldn’t feel too sorry for Steve and Steph as a Developer is organising this. The proposed Cafe has not enough space for either kitchen or storage of alchohol and since they couldn’t even afford to buy the beers locals drank we all fail to understand how they can now afford such such a large development and to keep one of these large houses for themselves. Come to Pett Level and check your facts please. Wendy Booth
To clarify the above point by Martin Hogarth, the Stones took occupancy of The Smuggler four years ago in 2014. They ran it as a pub until buying it in 2016. They closed it briefly for 3-4 weeks for refurbishment then it was reopened until being closed in 2017, following an unsuccessful tenancy by Donna and Danny Sawyer.
This article totally misses the point.
No one can or would buy The Smugglers at such and inflated price.
I have never heard of or or know of any locals being offered to lease The Smugglers as a local co-operative.!!!
Des Coleman and his family have always kept a strangle hold over every pub landlord which has prevented The Smugglers from being a great pub.
That’s the story!!
Every village should have access to a place to meet ie. pub, shop or post office.
The Smuggglers could be an amazing pub with a few tweeks.
The West facing garden could be lovely if Wattle fencing and nice plants were put up to hide the road, a fire pit etc.
The garden overlooking the sea would be opened up to see the sea with a lovely ice cream shed.
The pub has so many options. It is and has been the main topic of converstaion amoungst the locals of Pett Level for years of how sad they are that The Smugglers has not reached its full potential as a village asset.
Everyone is desperate for it to be a lovely plalce to go to.
The Crown in Rye is a prime example of how a dead spot that no one wanted to go to became a thriving pub due to clever managment, good food, drink, staff and turning a duff spot a pleasurable place to go to.
The Smugglers does and never had this the disadvantage.
So as said before could be a really lovely GO to Pub…….
If knocked down 2 of the most hideous houses and a couple of removable shipping containers would replace it.
I don’t understand how the owners of The Smugglers can afford to do this development, when they could not afford to run The Smugglers.
Emma Harwood obviously only interviewed the owners of The Smugglers and did not bother to actually talk to residents just cut from the comments page of the planning application.
I feel then a better more balanced article would have appeared.
To me the aricle is just about destroying the only Public place that the residents of Pett level have in favour of making a few bob for the Owners of The Smugglers.
Nothing wrong with trying to make money !!!!
Just not at the expense of a village and its residents. Leaving in its place temporary shipping containers as the only public asset.
This is such a lazy piece of journalism. It reads more like a promotional piece for the wannabee profiteering property developers. In particular just cutting and pasting from small sections of just 2 of the numerous objections posted on the planning application is not serious investigation.
If you want to run a serious story on this perhaps a visit to the village and conversations with residents may produce a more balanced piece, or at least you could indicate the overwhelming level of objection from the village and use more of the many very well voiced objections on the planning portal. Currently it reads more like a page of paid for advertising for the development