Campaigners fighting to stop the last pub on a Stockton estate being converted into a children’s nursery have today been given hope for its future.
Just a week after the campaign to save The Sheraton was launched Stockton Council has confirmed it will refuse a request to set aside a covenant which restricts the building’s use to a public house.
Staff at the Hardwick pub had been told its owners, Lancashire-based Trust Inns, could sell the premises to a private nursery company.
This led to a Facebook campaign being launched to save the pub, and hundreds of people have signed petitions both in The Sheraton and on Hardwick estate.
Stockton North Labour MP, Alex Cunningham, and local councillors Norma Stephenson and Nigel Cooke, backed the campaign at a public meeting and immediately requested the council refuse to alter the covenant.
Alex Cunningham in the pub with petition alongside leader of Stockton Council Cllr Bob Cook and Cllr Norma Stephenson
A spokesperson for Stockton Council confirmed today that request has now been met - a decision which was welcomed across the area.
Alex said: “For an estate the size of Hardwick, which has undergone a major transformation in recent years, to lose its last pub would be a major blow to the community.
“Nigel, Norma and I are delighted that the council recognised the strength of feeling on the estate and acted quickly to sort the matter out.
“They know, however, that there is still a need for additional nursery capacity in the area and the borough council will work with local organisations to find the right kind if accommodation.”
The MP said Lynne D’Arcy, managing director of Trust Inns, had confirmed to him the pub had been sold subject to contract – even though it was not on their list of premises to be sold.
Alex added: “I understand that the pub owners hadn’t planned to close the pub and sell it but, having been approached, agreed to a sale.
“Now it is up to the people of Hardwick to show their support for their local pub and ensure that it is well used.”
Gemma Hawkes, who works at The Sheraton, said: “This is brilliant news, it’s a step in the right direction.
“Everyone at the pub is over the moon. We are just hoping it stays now as a pub. But this news offers a bit of hope.”
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