UPDATE: 22nd August 2018. The care home’s appeal has been rejected by the planning inspector, meaning they will not be demolishing the Carlton. More details to follow…
Original article from March 2018
You may remember last year’s dramatic events surrounding the Carlton Tavern? In short, it was sold by Marstons (the owner) to a private care home company, who planned to knock the Carlton down and replace it with a luxury care home. Social Vision were approached to provide an alternative use of the existing building that would transform it into a vibrant community hub (see our overview plans here). Planning permission was granted for the care home and demolition, but following public outcry and a revisit of its heritage and community significance, the decision was incredibly reversed. This was before Christmas…
We fast forward a few months, and in the run up to the local by-election for the Holgate Ward, the Carlton Tavern was still a hot topic facing councillors of all political parties as they canvassed their constituents. So I thought this quick summary below would be a useful update, to keep people in the loop with developments:
- The Care Home…. the care home company have, I believe, six months to appeal against the planning decision, which would take us to mid-June. It’s unknown at this stage whether an appeal will materialise; the care home’s legal team may decide it is not in their best interests, and they may then pull out of the purchase (which was subject to planning being granted), leaving the door open for us to speak to Marstons about our alternative proposal
- Marstons…. naturally the current owners are unable to enter into any formal discussions with us whilst the above process is taking place. We (Social Vision, backed by a local investor) remain committed to purchasing the Carlton Tavern, and transforming it into a community amenity; but a lot of that will depend on Marstons being in a position to negotiate and sell. So we await their next move….
- The Carlton…. in the meantime (and at the time of writing) The Carlton continues to stay open – and I’d encourage everyone to go and enjoy the pub. As we enter into Spring and the weather begins to turn, there’s a great outdoor space and kids play area, as well as their famous Sunday Carvery.
- Social Vision – We remain ready, willing and able to deliver our vision for the Carlton, and super excited at the possibility we may one day have a quality family restaurant, deli, microbrewery and hotdesking space right here on our doorstep!
If you have any comments or feedback on the Carlton Tavern project, feel free to drop us a line:
Email: joe@social-vision.org.uk
Phone: 07551 008 631
Twitter: @socialvisionuk
