ABOUT THIS BLOG

This popular and historic pub was acquired by its owners in 2009 with a view, initially, to building flats for social housing and then subsequently developing a small housing estate. Local residents opposed these plans from the start.

Planning permission was granted in 2010 after which the site was put up for sale. After many years of inactivity, building work finally started in July 2015. Locally, this was seen as good news. However, the houses have yet to be completed.

The aim of this Blog has been to keep residents informed of current developments and to record the long history of this small community's fight to keep its pub.

Sunday 21 February 2010

How to Win Friends and Influence People


Events of the past week have reminded us of this timeless classic written in the 1930's and still in print today.  Described by The Times as the most successful self-help book of all time, it has sold literally millions of copies world-wide.  According to the fly-leaf, amongst the twelve things the book will do for you are:
  • Increase your popularity
  • Help you to win people to your way of thinking
  • Help you  to avoid arguments and keep your human contacts smooth and pleasant
Now then, you may be wondering just what this has got to do with the pub and the planning application.  Well, on Friday, the owners submitted what we believe to be their first comments on the current situation.  Basically, they claim that our local councillors advised them that an application for eight houses rather than flats would be acceptable.  In summary, what the owners say flies pretty much in the face of what we already know of their meeting with councillors in October and attribute statements to them which are less than complementary.  

Not only have the owners succeeded in alienating the residents of Rough Close, they are now trying very hard to do the same with our politicians.  How to Win Friends and Influence People?  Hardly.  More like "hell have no fury ..."


at 17:21

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous22 February 2010 at 12:41

    Having now seen the Davis`s SBC submission on the topic it is difficult to see the point of the mail they have posted.Seemingly they are telling SBC that Ms.Bennett and Cllr Parry both shared with them the opinion that the social housing was not appropriate for the area.Then Ms.Bennett "when most of the Parish councillors had left" allegedly advised the applicant that 8 detached houses would be more suitable for the area and that would pose no problems in the planning process.
    Quite how an unelected Parish councillor would be able to advise the developer of this is somewhat perplexing,as would their acceptance that she had the authority to do so, and as the Davis`s have become the pariahs of Rough Close/Meir Heath they seem to be trying to deflect some of the revulsion directed at them to Ms.Bennett.What they hope to achieve by this is as confusing as their lack of understanding how badly the development plans would be received by Rough Close residents.
    We will no doubt follow the progress of their formal complaint with the same level of disinterest that they show to the growing list of objectors to their plans to destroy the George and Dragon.

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  2. Anonymous25 February 2010 at 12:19

    They are obviously desperate now and, like cornered rats, they have gone for the throats of the only people who could give them any hope of satisfying their greed at the expense of Rough Close residents. Let's hope their lying tactics now show the councilors exactly what type of people they really are.

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