|
14th June 2008
Dear Laurent Boutin
Re: Green Man Public House, Burpham, Guildford
On the 7th April 2008 you were asked by email by Tim Dawes from Guildford Borough Council's Planning Department why contractors had come to the Green Man pub on Saturday 5th April to remove roof tiles. Tim Dawes had received numerous emails from concerned and angry residents who were angry at seeing their pub being destroyed.
Your response to Tim on email also dated 7th April was to claim that ALDI the site owners had been having trouble with squatters at the premises and that even on the morning of Saturday 5th April, the contractors had had to evict squatters before being able to remove the roof tiles.
We have now had time to investigate police records in the area and we cannot find any mention of squatters or on the site. As I'm sure you know, private individuals cannot evict squatters. This has to be done by the police.
The only police incident number is P08110748 which is where a resident reported the theft of the roof tiles by your own contractor on the 5th April! On the 5th April, various residents and councillors spoke to your contractors and on no occasion did they refer to having to evict squatters.
Member of our Association are of the opinion therefore that the real reason for the removal of tiles was to make the building less resistant to bad weather which would then give you further reason to have the pub demolished.
Members of our Association also believe that in Nov ember 2006, Aldi gave an undertaking not to demolish the existing building until planning permission had been granted for some alternative proposal. My understanding is that no such application has been made.
All this leads local residents to believe that an apology is due to them for giving misleading information to them and to the press about the true reasons for removing the roof tiles. They also believe that a further apology and explanation is due to them if it is indeed Aldi's intention to break the informal agreement about demolition.
I am sure that you are well aware of the widespread view in Burpham that the loss of a pub on this site is a major reduction in community facilities. I enclose a copy of the 'Objection to Demolition' letter that was circulated in 2006/2007. Guildford Borough Council has already received 1,795 of these.
We acknowledge that there may well be an appropriate site for an Aldi store in Guildford, but we are convinced that the Green Man site is completely unsuitable for such a development.
I shall look forward to receiving your apology and explanation which I shall pass on to concerned local residents.
Yours sincerely,
Colin Matthews
Chairman
Burpham Community Association
|