By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
The former owners of a ‘failing’ Chilwell pub have described why it will never open again after taking less than £1,500 per week.
Inham Nook Hotel in Chilwell has been described by Broxtowe Borough Council as “a failing business” for a number of years prior to its closure.
The site is now owned by the council and it wants councillors to approve plans to demolish the site with the potential to build new homes there in the future.
Councillors will meet on Wednesday, March 9, to decide the fate of the pub, which is now vacant.
The former owners, Trust Inns, have provided a statement to the planning committee about why the pub struggled to become a success.
This includes making less than £1,500 per week including VAT.
The operations director for Trust Inns said: “It is evident from the number of occupants, failures and periods of closure that despite the pub being in reasonable condition and having all the requisite facilities it was unviable due to the poor level of trade available from the estate and due to other issues, such as drug and alcohol abuse and violence which were endemic in certain sectors of the catchment and were of necessity excluded from the premises.
“We rarely give up on a site and run over 350 pubs effectively – however despite investing in the site it became evident that we would never find a substantive tenant for the pub who could control the clientele and build a profitable business.
“It’s also worth noting that recent utility increases which are not controlled by a cap for commercial use have led to a trebling of costs – an average-sized pub would historically use circa £15,000 per annum however this would now be in the region of £45,000 and will make many more pubs unviable but would certainly not have been sustainable from a site taking £1,500 per week like the Inham.
“I’ve been the operations director for Trust Inns since 2006 and the pub has always been difficult to trade and find suitable operators clearly evidenced by the failure of anyone to become stable at the site.”
There was one objection received to the demolition stating there were no public houses in the area, the nearest being a mile away.
Council planning officers said: “Whilst it is acknowledged that the public house is the only one serving the estate (prior to its closure), it has not been run as a successful or thriving business for a while prior to its closure, and the former owners had struggled to find long term tenants to run the pub.
“The site is effectively a casualty of its ‘isolated’ location, the changing way pubs are being used by the wider community, as well as being a casualty of Covid.
It is therefore considered that the loss of the pub would not result in the unnecessary loss of a valued facility.
“The demolition of the pub will ensure that the site will not fall into a state of disrepair and will be left in a tidy state ready for redevelopment for the benefit of the community.”
Broxtowe Borough Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service in February: “The council own the site of the Inham Nook public house and are currently proposing to redevelop the site principally for affordable housing.
“A full planning application is due to be submitted in the spring following a consultation event which is currently being held with local residents.”
