My occasional words in support of our local pub, have led me to set up a petition on the 10 Downing Street web site. I did so really just as a local citizen, pub customer, concerned voter. But of course, the interesting bit of the story is that I am a Catholic priest. Ah!
Here below is the article as it appeared in the Sentinel - the original article, with comments, can be seen here. And oh yes - the petition (which you can sign if you are a UK citizen) is here.
ALMOST 200 people have joined a Roman Catholic priest's campaign to save a city centre pub from the bulldozers.
Father Peter Weatherby has launched a petition on the 10 Downing Street website which calls on the Government to step in and rescue Hanley's Coachmakers Arms.
After being accepted by moderators, it went online on Monday and has so far attracted almost 200 signatures.
He and other campaigners want the Secretary of State to call in Stoke-on-Trent City Council's decision to grant outline planning permission for a new £250 million shopping centre.
Last month, the authority's development control committee voted unanimously to approve Realis Estates (Stoke) Ltd's initial bid to create a new East-West centre – subject to the matter not being called in by the Secretary of State.
Click here!
But Coachmakers Arms campaigners are unhappy that only five committee members took part in the vote and point out that there are already a number of vacant shopping units in the city centre.
They agree that there is broad approval for regeneration in the area, but want the Victorian pub to be included on the plans.
But Realis has maintained throughout that the retention of the pub is impossible for commercial and design reasons.
The petition reads: "We, the undersigned, petition the Prime Minister to call in the plans for development of the East-West Centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, in view of the overwhelming public opposition to demolition of the Coachmakers Arms as part of these plans."
Last month Father Weatherby, priest at nearby Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Eastwood Place, used The Sentinel's Yours Faithfully column to explain why he would not be giving up the Coachmakers for Lent.
He said it was because he wanted to celebrate the pub's history, warm welcome and range of beers while he still had the chance.
Father Weatherby said there was overwhelming support for regeneration.
But he added that a substantial number of people opposed to the demolition of the award-winning pub felt aggrieved by the way the planning process worked.
He said: "A lot of the city is very ugly, and we all know that.
"But this is worth preserving because it is providing a local facility for people to meet and sit and talk.
"There is never any trouble and there is responsible drinking.
"It is a place where people gather and form friendships and these type of pubs are going."
The petition runs for a year and, if it attracts more than 200 signatures, it will be passed to officials working for the Prime Minister or to the relevant Government department for a response.
Every person who 'signs' the online petition will then be sent an email detailing the Government's response to the issues raised.
Coachmakers licensee Jason Barlow said the petition was the latest stage in the battle to keep the pub open and said it was to be backed by the Campaign for Real Ale and trade publications.
He said: "We want to overwhelm them with so many names that the Government has to say 'We are going to have to take a look at this'.
"We have decided to do it now because every political eye in the country is focused on Stoke-on-Trent at the moment."
Mr Barlow said if the decision were called in, the pub would consider handing over its other petition, which has been gathering signatures for several months and currently has around 11,000 names.
Mr Barlow said several people had already indicated they would like to sign, but did not have email accounts or access to the internet, so he will be setting up a computer at the pub in the next few days and will assist anyone wanting to have their say in setting up an email address.
ALMOST 200 people have joined a Roman Catholic priest's campaign to save a city centre pub from the bulldozers.
Father Peter Weatherby has launched a petition on the 10 Downing Street website which calls on the Government to step in and rescue Hanley's Coachmakers Arms.
After being accepted by moderators, it went online on Monday and has so far attracted almost 200 signatures.
He and other campaigners want the Secretary of State to call in Stoke-on-Trent City Council's decision to grant outline planning permission for a new £250 million shopping centre.
Last month, the authority's development control committee voted unanimously to approve Realis Estates (Stoke) Ltd's initial bid to create a new East-West centre – subject to the matter not being called in by the Secretary of State.
Click here!
But Coachmakers Arms campaigners are unhappy that only five committee members took part in the vote and point out that there are already a number of vacant shopping units in the city centre.
They agree that there is broad approval for regeneration in the area, but want the Victorian pub to be included on the plans.
But Realis has maintained throughout that the retention of the pub is impossible for commercial and design reasons.
The petition reads: "We, the undersigned, petition the Prime Minister to call in the plans for development of the East-West Centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, in view of the overwhelming public opposition to demolition of the Coachmakers Arms as part of these plans."
Last month Father Weatherby, priest at nearby Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Eastwood Place, used The Sentinel's Yours Faithfully column to explain why he would not be giving up the Coachmakers for Lent.
He said it was because he wanted to celebrate the pub's history, warm welcome and range of beers while he still had the chance.
Father Weatherby said there was overwhelming support for regeneration.
But he added that a substantial number of people opposed to the demolition of the award-winning pub felt aggrieved by the way the planning process worked.
He said: "A lot of the city is very ugly, and we all know that.
"But this is worth preserving because it is providing a local facility for people to meet and sit and talk.
"There is never any trouble and there is responsible drinking.
"It is a place where people gather and form friendships and these type of pubs are going."
The petition runs for a year and, if it attracts more than 200 signatures, it will be passed to officials working for the Prime Minister or to the relevant Government department for a response.
Every person who 'signs' the online petition will then be sent an email detailing the Government's response to the issues raised.
Coachmakers licensee Jason Barlow said the petition was the latest stage in the battle to keep the pub open and said it was to be backed by the Campaign for Real Ale and trade publications.
He said: "We want to overwhelm them with so many names that the Government has to say 'We are going to have to take a look at this'.
"We have decided to do it now because every political eye in the country is focused on Stoke-on-Trent at the moment."
Mr Barlow said if the decision were called in, the pub would consider handing over its other petition, which has been gathering signatures for several months and currently has around 11,000 names.
Mr Barlow said several people had already indicated they would like to sign, but did not have email accounts or access to the internet, so he will be setting up a computer at the pub in the next few days and will assist anyone wanting to have their say in setting up an email address.
The article in the paper had a large picture of me outside the pub - the smaller version below shows my empty glass but not the sign over the door:
Ah well - while others agonise over world peace or the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, here's me in some brief March sunshine stood outside the pub.
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