Thursday 21 June 2012

Public debate over plans for pub article - Wimbledon Guardian 21/6/12


Tuesday 19 June 2012

June 2012 newsletter


June Newsletter

The St Helier Pub Group

Formerly The Campaign for the Morden Tavern June 2012

Public Hearing - 1st August

NEW DEADLINE 10th July 2012



The St Helier Pub Group and The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) submited over 1,100 letters of objection to the planning appeal by Reef Estates to build shops and flats on the Morden Tavern. As a result of this huge response by the St Helier and Merton community the Planning Inspectorate has agreed to hold a public hearing in to the Morden Tavern affair here in Morden on;
Wednesday 1st August 2012

Letters have been circulated by Merton Council advising of the pending hearing and giving a further extension for anyone to register their objections until 10th July 2012. This is a great success on the path to saving the last public house on our estate and enables residents to have their voice heard.

Please keep writing!



Anyone can register their objection to the plans, please go directly to the Planning Inspectorate comments page quoting Planning Appeal APP/T5720/A/12/2172973 in the subject line:

http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp?caseid=2172973&coid=2162696 

Click on the ‘Comment on this case’ link at the bottom (not the LPA one)
In the new form that opens select ‘Interested party / person’ from the drop down list.


A written representation could include:

  • that Morden needs a pub;
  • the planned buildings are too dense and high
  • the plans will compromise a locally listed building removing its important setting
  • there has been a lack of consultation with the community by all parties
  • contravenes local and national planning policies
  • what the closure of St Helier's last pub has meant for you;
  • how important it is for St Helier's sense of community that it retains a public house;
  • this would be a community hub / social centre
It does not need to be overly long, but the Inspectorate will consider each one in its deliberations. We need to get over how strongly residents feel about this and that having a pub is core to St Helier's sense of community.



Campaigners’ Visits

The SHPG is visiting households in St Helier both to explain the aims of our campaign and to facilitate residents’ objections to the planning appli-cation. So far we have visited over 1,000 homes.

We have been delighted at the overwhelmingly positive response from residents to the campaign. We will continue to make these visits up to the 10th July 2012 deadline. We welcome the ideas and comments made by the St Helier resi-dents and your eagerness to support the campaign.

Without the support, of the St Helier Communi-ty, this campaign would have failed. You should be proud of the fight you are putting up and developers will no longer look at St Helier as a ‘soft target’.


What happens next?

The inspectorate will continue to accept submissions via its website or post by anyone who is interested in the future of the to the Morden Tavern until 10th July 2012. Its important that we keep up the momentum to refuse the developer permission to build on the last historic public house in St Helier.

The inspectorate will then read and consider all the submissions before the public hearing on 1st August. The hearing will usually last one day and various parties will be allowed to make verbal submis-sions in support of their written ones. Anyone can go along and listen and we are expecting a large number of local residents to attend. We will of course update the community once the location is announced. The Inspectorate will also make a site visit before going away to consider their decision. This may take several weeks.


Merton's Rotting Asset—update

The Morden Tavern is a locally listed investment property owned by Merton Council on the behalf of borough residents, Reef Estates hold a 19 year lease. In 2010 Reef Estates closed The Morden Tavern after 70 years of business so that it could make planning application for housing on the site of a closed pub.

Reef Estates have failed to take care of the property and soon after, squatters moved in, closely followed by thieves who stripped lead from the roof, resulting in water damage. In addition, it is believed that leaking pipes have also caused exten-sive flooding in the cellar, potentially damaging the building’s foundations.

In the two years in which The Tavern has been closed, the building has been left to rot. But this is not a building owned by Reef, but by Merton Council on our behalf. WE own this property, but as each month goes by, its value and appearance deteriorates further, costing us money.

Reef Estates has an obligation under the lease to maintain the property in the condition in which they found it. Merton Council has a duty to ensure that Reef sticks to the terms of the lease. The Council has not made any checks or written any reports on the condition of this property in the last 2 years. We estimate that it could cost Reef more than £100,000 to put The Tavern back in the condition it was 2 years ago.

Councillor Dennis Pearce has been seeking advice from the councils legal department as to how Merton can protect this public asset from neglect. The SHPG is currently lobbying for all party support from Merton’s councillors to encourage the relevant council officers to pursue the developer in carrying out the legally required maintenance.




Cooperative Plans

The SHPG continues to receive enquiries into its Cooperative ownership plans for the Morden Tavern. We are keen to keep the opportunity to invest open to potential investors, especially those who live in or near Morden or St Helier. Small groups may purchase a single share between them.

When the time comes to invest, we will need to move fast, but will not ask anyone to part with cash before then. The minimum investment will be £250, and in return you will get to own a part of your community and an annual share of the profits. If you would consider an investment, or would like to be kept informed, please email us at: 

tavern.development@virginmedia.com 




Object via Post

Alternatively you can object by Post to;
Planning Inspectorate, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN
Please quote the property address and case number;
Planning Reference:
APP/T5720/A/12/2172973
Property address:
Morden Tavern 144 Central Road St. Helier Morden SM4 5RL
You need to send three copies of your letter for it to be accepted.

TOGETHER WE CAN WIN!

Monday 18 June 2012

Local site announces Public Hearing date - 1st August

Local site announces Public Hearing by Planning Inspector into the goings-on surrounding the Morden Tavern planning application, Merton Council's refusal of consent in January and the ensuing Appeal by developers Reef Estates. Date: 1st August 2012

Press Release - 18/6/12


PRESS RELEASE

St Helier Pub Group – 18.6.12

Campaigners secure Public Hearing into the Morden Tavern planning debacle on 1st August 2012

More than 1,100 local residents in St Helier and Merton have written to the Planning Inspectorate, in Bristol, to object to the Appeal by Reef Estates against Merton Council’s planning committee’s decision in January to refuse planning consent. Reef's intention is to convert the existing pub into retail units on the ground floor -they have a track record with Tesco- and the upper floors into flats.

The St Helier Pub Group (SHPG) has been well supported by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) whose local Pubs Preservation Officer and Planning Consultant Dale Ingram's advice and guidance has been instrumental to the local supporters' resistance to the planning application.

The Planning Inspectorate has now decided that it will be dealt with by a public hearing in Merton, on 1st August 2012. The Campaigners are asking for a big show of support to show the strength of feeling within the community, which means coming to the Civic Centre on the day at 9.30am. You do not need to speak (the Campaign group will put up three speakers, including Dale) but of course you would be welcome to. All local voices are most welcome.

Reef is a property developer who plans to build shops and flats on the last of St Helier’s three historic 1930’s pubs. Support for SHPG, which has a business plan to buy back this historic public house and run it as a community co-operative, has grown as local residents have increasingly become aware of the questionable dealings regarding the Morden Tavern affair and Merton Council who own the Freehold.

High profile political figures such as Jenny Jones and Richard Tracey of the London Assembly have previously called for a public inquiry along with local councillors, Richard Tracey, David Dean, Iain Dysart and Mary-Jane Jeanes. Siobhain McDonagh MP and St Helier councillor Dennis Pearce have supported the call for a public hearing.

The SHPG are delighted by the huge public support shown by local residents. This proves that St Helier not only wants its own pub back, but also that if reopened as a community owned cooperative its future success will be assured.

The St Helier Pub Group can be contacted via tavern.developments@virginmedia.com

The Chair of the SHPG David Smith

Dale Ingram, Planning Consultant /CAMRA SW London Pubs Preservation Officer and SHPG 

Twitter: @SaveMordenTav

Facebook: Campaign for Morden Tavern

Sunday 17 June 2012


Public Hearing - 1st August
NEW DEADLINE 10th July 2012
The St Helier Pub Group and The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) submited over 1,100 letters of objection to the planning appeal by Reef Estates to build shops and flats on the Morden Tavern. As a result of this huge response by the St Helier and Merton community the Planning Inspectorate has
agreed to hold a public hearing in to the Morden Tavern affair here in Morden on:

Wednesday 1st August 2012


Letters have been circulated by Merton Council advising of the pending hearing and giving a further
extension for anyone to register their objections until 10th July 2012. This is a great success on the
path to saving the last public house on our estate and enables residents to have their voice heard.
Please keep writing!
Anyone can register their objection to the plans, please go directly to the Planning Inspectorate comments page quoting Planning Appeal APP/T5720/A/12/2172973 in the subject line:
http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp?caseid=2172973&coid=2162696
Click on the ‘Comment on this case’ link at the bottom (not the LPA one)

In the new form that opens select ‘Interested party / person’ from the drop down list.
A written representation could include:
 that Morden needs a pub;
 the planned buildings are too dense and high
 the plans will compromise a locally listed building removing its important setting
 there has been a lack of consultation with the community by all parties
 contravenes local and national planning policies
 what the closure of St Helier's last pub has meant for you;
 how important it is for St Helier's sense of community that it retains a public house;
 this would be a community hub / social centre

It does not need to be overly long, but the Inspectorate will consider each one in its deliberations. We need to get over how strongly residents feel about this and that having a pub is core to St Helier's sense of community.


The SHPG is visiting households in St Helier both to explain the aims of our campaign and to facilitate residents’ objections to the planning application. So far we have visited over 1,000 homes.

We have been delighted at the overwhelmingly positive response from residents to the campaign.
We will continue to make these visits up to the 10th July 2012 deadline. We welcome the
ideas and comments made by the St Helier residents and your eagerness to support the campaign.
Without the support, of the St Helier Community, this campaign would have failed. You should
be proud of the fight you are putting up and developers will no longer look at St Helier as a ‘soft
target’.


The St Helier Pub Group
Formerly The Campaign for the Morden Tavern June 2012

Sunday 10 June 2012

statements deadline extended to 10th July

The good news is that the opportunity to make statements on the Morden Tavern appeal has been extended to 10 July 2012 by the Planning Inspectorate.

Please use the link below and state clearly that the Planning Inspectorate should uphold Merton Council's decision to refuse planning permission:

http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/ViewCase.asp?caseid=2172973&coid=2162696