Landlord's light loss fear
A Newark pub risks being plunged into darkness because of efforts to secure a mothballed building site.
Ten-foot high fence posts were this week sunk at a vacant lot on Northgate, Newark, which stands between Northgate Auction Rooms and The Old Malt Shovel.
The pub landlord, Mr Sean Smith, fears that if the panels between the posts are the same height nearly all natural light will be blocked from the pub’s interior.
Secured
There are four windows facing the building site, and one that faces on to Northgate, and the fence posts stand much taller than the tops of the ground-floor window frames.
The site was cleared of undergrowth and secured by owners Royal Bank of Scotland at Christmas with metal mesh fencing after Mr Smith rang to warn them that travellers were trying to move on to it.
Mr Smith said the metal fencing was sufficient to secure the site.
He said if boards went up they would obscure the pub from vehicles travelling along Northgate from the town centre, and would affect passing trade.
“People are just going to see a fence and nothing else. The fence is going to attract graffiti and fly-posting, too, which will lower the tone of the area,” said Mr Smith.
“It is hard enough keeping a pub going in today’s recession. I hope RBS acknowledge that and cut us a break.”
Mr Smith said his delivery drivers had told him that the high boards would make it virtually impossible to turn their lorries on to the narrow track between the pub and the site and make it highly dangerous to reverse out.
He said if the boards went up the drivers said they would park at the front of the pub, potentially causing misery for the road-users of Northgate.
A spokesman for RBS said the fences would be 2.4metres high, and were going up with Newark and Sherwood District Council’s approval.
The spokesman said that RBS was in talks with Mr Smith.
“To secure the site we are currently in the process of erecting a fence on the land we are responsible for in line with current planning guidelines,” said the spokesman.
“The fence will be subject to regular security and maintenance reviews.”
