Pubs take stand against developers
A couple from Lancashire are fighting to stop their pub being demolished to make way for a roundabout.
Marilyn and Peter McDonnell, licensees of the Sumpter Horse in Penwortham, have been told to get out after a developer bought the former Scottish & Newcastle pub.
But the couple has vowed to fight plans to tear down the 200-year-old building.
Marilyn said: "They'll bulldoze this pub around me first. If plans go ahead, we'll have no job and no home.
"Four years of working 24/7, pouring money into the refurbishments, and building up the business stands for nothing."
She said she was lobbying English Heritage to give the pub - the only Sumpter Horse in the country - listed status, a move that would protect it from being demolished without permission.
A spokesman for developer Bovis Homes said: "We regret this decision has proved unpopular with the leaseholders and some local customers, but it is part of a major, longer-term redevelopment proposal for the area, on which we are currently working in conjunction with South Ribble District Council."
Meanwhile, the pub Kate Moss has been fighting to save in London's East End, has stepped up its campaign to stop a neighbouring development going ahead.
Locals have until Tuesday to object to plans from Swan Housing to turn a disused nightclub attached to The George Tavern in Stepney into a housing block.
Opponents say the 350-year-old pub, which is a busy arts venue, will be destroyed if the scheme goes ahead because of noise concerns and light being blocked on one side.
Licensee Pauline Foster said: "If I lose my entertainments licence, it's a loss to the area because we have established a very good music venue and pub."
A spokesman for Swan Housing said: "We are not interested in affecting the viability of a pub such as The George. Claims of that kind are frankly ridiculous."
