Residents of a small town have pleaded with Wetherspooner founder Tim Martin not to op[en another pub in their community, and to 'try Sheffield instead'. Grandparents Christina and Derek Brown, 76 and 75, who are among those campaigning against the new Wetherspoon, say they are deeply concerned about how it will affect the their high street.
Derek said: “It would be detrimental to local businesses. It can’t be positive. We’ve got lots of facilities for eating and we’ve got some fantastic pubs. The high street is vibrant. We don’t need another pub.”
Asked by LeedsLive what he would say to Tim Martin, Derek said: “I don’t think you want to print that! Go and find another more suitable venue in another town. How about Sheffield or somewhere like that?”
Other residents say a new Wetherspoon would bring “drunkenness and unpleasant behaviour” to Wetherby and devastate local bars and restaurants. JD Wetherspoon is currently exchanging contracts for the vacant Sant’ Angelo building on High Street after the Italian restaurant closed down for good last month due to the rising energy costs.
Wetherspoon said the company would be “happy” to meet residents to discuss any concerns prior to opening, insisting the pub would be a “benefit” to the area, pointing out it will create 50 new jobs after they've spent £2.25 million to redevelop the venue.
Derek said: “It’s not very good. I don’t like Wetherspoon. They tend to create a disturbance. There’s a lot of drunkenness and unpleasant behaviour.
“Sant’ Angelo was always a conservative unit, there was a lot of activity but there was never any fuss. It was packed out and it was so supported, it’s just a shame the family are no longer running it.”
Another resident, Christina, a retired children’s dentist, said: “Oh my lovely Sant’ Angelos. I don’t want it to close. It is such lovely place. We know the whole family and they’re gorgeous. My family will miss it. It was vibrant, we frequented it nearly every other week.”
Wetherby residents Christina and Derek Brown are worried about a Wetherspoon coming to town (Image: Samuel Port)
Retired architect James Jones, 82, said: “I’m very sad about Sant’ Angelos closing. We’d go for special occasions as it was bloody expensive. Wetherspoon will be radically different – as long as the building is being used, I don’t mind. I’d go there for a quick pint to have a nose around but I don’t think it’s a place I’ll frequent.
“This is a very Conservative town with their noses in the air, how he [Tim Martin] is going to appeal to people like that, I don’t know.”
David Atkinson, 68, said: “It’s a shame really. It was a very popular restaurant. I’m fine with a Wetherspoon, it would be better than nothing. If this was empty, then it wouldn’t be good.
“I think it will do other bars and cafes good as they’re all empty anyway. I think they’ll corner the market if they opened. Since the pandemic, my children think Wetherby is a bit dead so they go into Leeds [city centre] now. I think this will make it less dead because this is the heart of Wetherby.”
Luke, 31, said: “Another Wetherspoon! Wetherby is nice with local businesses. You want to keep the other bigger entities out. You need to let the people flourish. Times are hard. The more successful small businesses we have, the better the economy is going to be. We don’t need another Wetherspoon.
“I’m disappointed, it’s just more of the same. There’s loads of little pubs and cafes around here, it seems a Wetherspoon would just suck up so much of that business which is really needed.”
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “Wetherspoon operates just under 850 pubs, many with local residents nearby.
“The company has built up a wide range of policies and procedures to ensure its pubs do not cause disturbance and noise to its neighbours. Should the company be granted the necessary permissions for the proposed pub, we will be happy to meet with local residents prior to opening to answer any questions that they might have.
“It is not our experience that when Wetherspoon opens a pub, that it has a negative effect on other businesses in a town. Instead, the pub can attract more visitors to the town centre, who will visit other shops and venues to the benefit of the area as a whole. Our proposed pub will also employ up to 50 people in full and part-time roles.”
