From Southwark News
My comment
It's happening everywhere - when a pub's not about to be demolished or converted into something like a Co-operative Local Store they are being rolled over into bland carbon copy 'traditional pub' pastiche places that are busy but which ironically absolutely no one, really, really wants to go to...
The Half Moon, Herne Hill is under threat... of homogenisation by Plc corporates with no vision, creativity or concern for authenticity, community culture, British traditions or local sense of place.
Money is the lowest possible common denominator when fabulous pubs like this come onto the market, once in a Blue Moon. Huge opportunity here that Dulwich Estates could have capitalised on when planning the shape of their estate years ago... it's ALL about money, and falling off logs. The Half Moon has a rich history as a great Local with a great live performance venue integral to its being... This can easily be sustained and enhanced now, especially as there will be investment involved. But no. Let's just do Sunday Roasts, oh, and Fuller's unique Pie & Ale concept... Like all the other Fuller's managed pubs. What a RUBBISH COP OUT!
When you know the pub sector well what's happening to the Half Moon Herne Hill is not astonishing in the least. Between its freeholder the Dulwich Estate and its desire to see maximum possible income for longest possible time into the future from its long-paid-for bricks and mortar it's to be expected they will lease to a branded bland corporate that will turn the pub into Just-Another-Homogenised-Food-and-Drink-Dispense-Unit indistinguishable from all the major competition. There is nothing genuine here about retaining, sustaining and promoting authenticity, tradition, heritage, sense of place, nothing of integrity. It is ALL about money. Fuller's retains a vestigial romantic glow of being a 'Family Brewer' but that's just a hogwash notion. When it comes to pubs Fuller's is just another predatory Plc - like all the others.
The community has mobilised to try to prevent the almost inevitable from happening to the Half Moon - Locals should be lobbying the Dulwich Estate HARD but they will most likely remain deaf to any pleading no matter how well presented... Dulwich Estate has become as bland and beaurocratic as most large fat lazy organisations do. Unimaginative, lacking creative thought or vision... Focused on a fat bank balance rather than on the things it was set up to sustain.
Protect Pubs was set up by people concerned by this type of completely unnecessary erosion and valueless homogenisation of British culture to begin to stem the tide of banality and bland in the pub sector. If you're concerned about the Half Moon and the countless other pubs that are falling prey to this everywhere in the UK you should join Protect Pubs and add your voice and opinions, skills, energy and experience to our growing numbers. Protect Pubs will quickly become THE voice in Britain for Pubs' Protection... it has no political affiliations, no axe to grind with anyone other than the faceless people and organisations that place Britain's future at threat by threatening the future of British Pubs ... in cases like these Protect Pubs will be uncompromising
Join US!
I understood that the objective of "Protect Pubs" was to campaign against their closure, and/or change to alternative use. From what you say above it sounds as if that objective has been extended to almost try to dictate to pub owners / tenants the style of operation within their pubs. Can that be right?
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