https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/oct/18/london-pubs-say-confusion-over-tier-2-rule-keeps-the-customers-away

The Crown is being demolished ahead of a £60million town centre revamp with new flats planned. Castle Point Council is knocking down the pub, in High Street, Hadleigh, and is replacing it with 60 homes.

The site had been home to a pub since 1769, before closing in 2009, making it on of town’s most historic buildings, after Hadleigh Castle and St James the Less Church.

Norman Smith, Tory leader of Castle Point Council said: “The plan is still the same and we will build homes on that area. “It will be about 60 new homes and I am pleased to see it going through as it’s been a bit of a saga, but now we can get it done.”

More than 100 residents commented on social media about the demolition, with some raising concerns about the development.

Bob Moore: “It was an inn and tavern for nearly 250 years but more generic flats are what all these historic buildings become these days. “Sadly pubs don’t get used these days, so they are worth more to developers than communities. “I am worried the town can’t cope with more homes.

The council has been planning to revamp Hadleigh town centre for almost a decade, with the plan originally being formulated before the 2012 London Olympics.

Mr Smith previously said he’s determined to regenerate this part of the town and there are a few possible scenarios being considered.

Plans were submitted to convert the building into a restaurant but these were refused by the council in July 2009.

https://www.hadleighhistory.org.uk/content/main-subjects/places/place/the_crown_hotel_hadleigh

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/07/greene-king-to-cut-up-to-800-jobs-and-shut-79-pubs-and-restaurants-covid

On 22 September a series of new restrictions were announced, including a curfew for hospitality businesses. The details of this vary slightly across the UK, and have come into force on different days: • In England, pubs must be closed completely between the hours of 22.00 and 5.00 • In Wales, pubs must stop serving alcohol by 22.00 and must be closed completely between 22.20 and 6.00 • In Scotland, pubs must be closed by 22.00 • In Northern Ireland, no food or alcohol can be served after 22.30 and pubs must close completely by 23.00

This curfew places further pressure on the sector by limiting the hours pubs can trade, when they are already under strain because of limits on the number of customers they can serve while maintaining social distancing requirements. A related issue is the potential for large crowds to form outside venues at curfew time. This is something publicans warned of, but under the new regulations there is nothing they can do to prevent it.

We have written to Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asking for his Department to urgently publish the evidence behind this decision and to provide pubs with targeted financial support.

Please be mindful of any local restrictions that might have changed the way pubs are currently operating in your area.

https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/29/reviewed-10pm-hospital-curfew-every-three-weeks

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/sep/21/police-in-england-to-enforce-covid-rules-on-pubs-with-fines-and-arrests

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/21/pubs-and-restaurants-across-england-to-be-forced-to-shut-at-10pm

In our last memo of 7 August we advised that it has been decided that it is still too early to resume any face to face activities including events and meetings, at all levels, and will continue to suspend all physical meeting for events, branch meetings, socials and ale trails on a rolling three-month cancellation. Government advice has not changed sufficiently for us to reconsider our position on this.

Festivals From 1st September we reduced the rolling cancellation period from three to two months. This allows us to review beer festivals that were due to take place in November onwards. In the previous memo we set out our plan to restart the festival programme with a series of test events. We still expect this will be the right approach, but the prerequisites we needed (particularly updated advice from the Government's planned test events) have not dropped into place. Therefore, we are no closer to knowing when we will be able to run our first festival. We know that many branches are starting to think about the festivals they would normally run in the early part of next year. We definitely hope that restrictions will ease into the new year but we cannot know for sure.

Therefore, branches must NOT enter into contracts, place orders, or commit any money towards an event until circumstances change and their business plan is explicitly approved by an assessor. While events of our own may still be some way off, it may be possible for branches to have a presence at smaller third-party events in their area. Please remember that unless you seek this approval CAMRA equipment and use of our name or logo must not be lent or used by anyone outside CAMRA under any circumstances.

Branch Meetings and socials: Branches should refrain from holding formal CAMRA meetings, social events, pub crawls or guided ale trails until the go ahead to resume meetings is formally announced by the Covid task group.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-bolton-pubs-restaurants-ordered-22648302

CAMRA: "Pub companies must also immediately cancel rent for tied pub tenants in Bolton. Tenants shouldn’t be forced to pay rent if they have no turnover"

https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/sep/06/how-victorian-female-brewers-broke-the-pint-glass-ceiling

Another legend has left us.

Belgian beer lover, cycling fan, pub lover, and friend to so many.

RIP Colin Osborne

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/camra-blasted-over-tasteless-insensitive-18854154

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/google-search-local-beer-delivery-lockdown-coronavirus-customer-demand-a9687071.html