New Delight - worst / best possible outcome?
Posted by Robert Collins, Thursday, July 11, 2002I think the worst case scenario is worryingly quite likely...
The council dig their heels in about the change of use. The place can then be sold on only as a pub. If no buyer can be found, it gets boarded up and eventually falls into disrepair. This process has been going on for 20-odd years in the towns as pubs in residential areas have lost out in competition with city centres. Personally, I'd rather see it live on as someone's home than watch this happen.
The best outcome for the future of the New Delight as a pub?
Any private buyer would be taking an enormous risk and would probably run out of money, so I don't think that's an option. I think if one of the big leisure groups could be persuaded to take it on, spend 100,000s on refurbishments / marketing and allow a sensible time period to see a return on their investment, it could be made to work as one of those generic, family-fiendly type pubs. (Big car park, glossy menus, special counter for food orders, kids play areas etc etc).