LETTER: Lots of reasons to keep pub

I am writing regarding your article in The Spalding Voice regarding the application for a change of use to the Plough pub in Holbeach St Johns.
My husband has been in the village for over 50 years, and I have been here for over 30. The Plough has always been an integral part of village life and we are shocked and saddened to hear that the new owner would like to change the pub to a residential dwelling.
I would urge you to speak to the residents of Holbeach St Johns regarding the loss of the pub, we are all extremely upset by this.
We, along with many other residents of the village have sent objections to the council regarding this. The pub is a viable business and would be well supported by locals, as it has been for years.
There are lots of reasons that The Plough should stay as a pub. Not least because it provides a space for the community to get together, interact and relax. The Plough has always been a great fundraising location, and over the years has raised money for the local church, village hall, WI, Rainbows and various charities.
The pub has been closed due to COVID for the last year and no effort has been made to keep the pub alive. No takeaway offering has been in place since the previous landlords vacated.
This is a shame as this would have shown the new owners that there is a huge demand for the pub to stay.
At the start of the lockdown in March 2020, the previous landlady Tabitha came back to the pub and set up a local food delivery service. This proved very popular with locals and shows that the pub is well supported.
The whole village has been very excited to see the pub reopen and this is a huge blow.
Hearing that it had been bought by Ian we were excited to get our heart of the community pub back open. However the current owner has not had any dealings with local residents, or garnered evidence to show there is support from the local community.
We have no other pub in the village and no other social spaces locally. The village has an aging population and sometimes the pub is the only place they are able to visit and speak to people on a day to day basis.
By taking away this pub, the local community would lose the heart of the village. Losing The Plough would be a total loss of a vital community focal point and amenity.
It should not be up to SHDC and Ian the landlord to decide the fate of this pub.
If he has no intention of running The Plough as a public house, he should sell the building and allow someone to run it as intended.
All efforts should be exhausted to find a new landlord for the building rather than it be ‘boarded up’ as Ian threatens to do in his application.
It is the belief of many that Ian has not even tried to gauge interest from locals as to whether the pub would be supported.
If he had spoken to residents he would know this is a much needed amenity in our village and we are heartbroken that we may lose this.

Karen & Robert Frost
Holbeach St Johns