Well, lots have happened since my last update, but very little has happened in regards to the pubs! Whilst I knew things would move slowly, I badly underestimated just how slowly
. Given that we plan to take one pub (officially) out of action which councils generally don't like, it has been decided that the best route is to submit one set of plans/application so as we can say, yes you're losing this pub but your bring this pub back into action and gaining community features here etc. Better shot with planning/historic Britain etc, but means that everything has to be worked out 1st.
The Seven Stars (my part) was worked out about a month back, but the Halfway House Inn plans have only just been finished, which now leaves the outside site plans. Working out where to put a playground, eating area, a path through to football field, changing rooms, allow for classic car shows, etc takes a surprising amount of time, as a result, I cant see work starting on the buildings to November/December now at the earliest.
On the upside, as all the energy has instead been going into clearing the grounds (which we can work on), and we have discovered that we have more land than 1st thought, clearing back 20 plus years of plant growth has revealed a shocking amount of land that had become lost in the bushes etc, at least 2 to 3 average garden sizes patches of land!
The other bit of good news is that I now have a truce (not peace) with the neighbours, things didn't get better, they actually got worse, so bad that I looked into whether I have the legal right to set up an overnight lorry car park on the pub car park (I do).
Getting the cars to stop parking on the land was pretty easy to deal with, but the blasted dog walkers were far harder (hence walk around parked lorries etc), thankfully I didn't need to go that far as I caught a dog walker red-handed and had strong words, so strong that he wasn't happy! Turns out that it was the best thing that could have happened.
The man I had words with has lived in the area for 40 plus years (probably longer), is highly respected and knows everyone, my parents have also lived in the area for 40 plus years so he naturally contacted them to complain about what I had said to him. He wasn't happy about me but he was equally shocked about what I had been having to put up with (5 official complaints/visits) as a result he understood why I had turned so unfriendly and a truce has been called as a result.
Since then I have found out who was behind most of the reporting which as I had been very kind to her really hacked me off, so the "war" continues with her, but as the rest of the community has also found out now what she has done they are equally not getting involved and view it as you caused all the problems in the first place, so not peace, but an understanding.
In case anyone is wondering I haven't threatened her or anything like that, all I have done is banned her kids from playing on the land which I gave them permission to do when I took over the place, its why it hacked me off so much, I let your kids play on my land (which puts me in a dangerous situation liability wise if something happens) and you say thank you by reporting me! I do feel sorry for the impact on the kids as it isn't there fault but actions have to have consequences and as she is a single mum with no garden to speak off this is the most effective way and removes the liability risk I had.