Another Community Victory in the Borough of Barnet - The Hendon Midland Hotel has been granted an Asset Of Community Value renewal

From the Midland Hotel Community Group

Dear Supporters

UPDATE ON DECISION FOR ACV

This morning, Barry Rawlings, the leader of the Council, considered the ACV nomination and APPROVED the Midland Hotel Pub to be listed as an ASSET OF COMMUNITY VALUE.

This is very great news as it means the pub has a layer of protection from demolition and any changes of use that may reduce its community status.

We would like to thank each and every one of you who wrote in with evidence of personal or community use of the pub. 

WIthout this written evidence, the ACV nomination would have failed no matter how many say they would like the pub to stay.

We would also like to thank those who showed their support by signing the petition that was started by a local resident and those who lobbied their councillors and other local politicians.

The future: there might be an appeal by the owner against the ACV decision or planning applications if the owner does not sell the pub

We will continue to keep an eye out for any developments.

We hope we can count on you again should the needs arise.

Have a very good Christmas and New Year.

CHEERS 🍻🍻🍻

Dave Paterson

Midland Hotel Community Group

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The Barnet Eye has been a supporter of the groups since its inception, we are proud to be able to bring you this news and look forward to The False Dots playing at The Midland Hotel when the pub reopens.

In the meantime we are playing at The Dublin Castle on Saturday 23rd December and would live you to join us!  (click here for a ticket)

Here is a little video we prepared earlier

Update from the Save The Hendon Midland Hotel campaign

Two weeks ago we sent out the developers' leaflet " New Homes and a Secure Feature for The Midland Hotel" to all our friends and supporters in Barnet and beyond, inviting their comments and opinions. 

Clearly, different people have different views, which we readily acknowledge, so it has been our task to collate a consensus opinion from the feedback.  

To further that aim, we attach new developers' architectural drawings sent recently to us. 

Please feel free to send us any comments and observations on these more detailed plans for the pub and the accommodation blocks B and C.

Our current position is:

Click image for more readable view

* Car Parking. 

There are currently twelve car parking spaces within the boundary of the site; the new plan allows for three, limiting the pub's operational flexibility and making it less attractive as a destination/live-music venue.That is unacceptable to us.

* Construction of an upstairs outdoor terrace to replace the current ground floor facility. 

We ask what specific need this new terrace satisfies, given there is a serviceable and popular beer-garden/patio in situ on the ground floor, and we point out that upstairs terraces bring many problems of their own: accessibility for wheelchair users, the infirm and aged, and problems for nearby residents - noise, overshadowing, loss of light and privacy.  

 

Click image for more readable view

* Schedule of Works. 

On this issue, which contains some of the most worrying aspects of the new plan, we have no information so far. 

We do not know if the developers intend to close the pub, and if so, when and for how long. Nor do we  know what will happen to the existing licensee, long-term residents and existing staff members in such circumstances.  

The lack of detail at this point in the consultation process is unacceptable. Further, we are well aware that once planning consent has been given, local councils have no control of the timescale in which a closed pub is reopened - evidence The Carlton Tavern, Maida Vale, closed this last five years; The Olde White Bear, Hampstead, bar closed for six years; The Railway Hotel, Edgware (Barnet) closed for an extraordinary twelve years. 

Unsurprisingly, we are wary of falling into such a predicament ourselves. We must be careful not to blunder into trading away what we have today in exchange for unenforceable promises of jam tomorrow.

These concerns have been put to the developers' agents this week, and we await their reply.

Our Asset of Community Value (ACV) listing and our subsequent Local heritage listing are the yardsticks by which we must measure any new proposals for the site, ensuring that they are in the best long term interest of the pub and the local community. 

Our feeling is that the new proposals fall short of meeting those objectives. 

We are against any large-scale construction work on the pub which might change the intrinsic character of this fine old Victorian building, the oldest in the area; 

we oppose the unnecessary loss of nine car parking spaces and the loss of the existing beer-garden/patio, both important components of our ACV listing, which Barnet themselves have recognised.  

We will keep you posted on developments as they unfold. 

In the meantime, please continue to send us your opinions, comments and questions via mhhendon@gmail.com 

As said before, it is important to gather as much consensus as possible to what residents and patrons feel about the future of the pub and the site.

Dave Paterson 

MHCG 

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The Barnet Eye blog fully supports the aims of the campaign to retain this vital community asset.

The Saving of the Midland Hotel - How to run a model community campaign

John from The Midland receives an award

Is there a future for pubs and live music venues in London? Before we consider any issues about campaigns, we need to consider this fundamental question. The evidence I've seen this week confirms what I've long believed the situation to be. On Saturday night, at the #SaveLodonMusic/Barnet Eye Xmas Party and annual community awards, we presented The Midland Hotel in Hendon with Barnet Eye pub of the Year and the Campaign to save it with the community campaign of the year. I had a long chat with John, who is the Landlord. I've known John for a good few years now, but it is actually the first time I've had a proper conversation with him. The Midland was formerly owned by Greene King breweries, who sold it to developers three years ago. John explained that since he became a free house, when Greene King sold up, he's been making far more money. This surprised me, but John explained "Under Greene King, I was a tied Landlord and had to pay a fixed rate for the beers. Now I can shop around, I can get most at almost half the price and offer a better selection of beers". John has been highly supportive of the #SaveLondonMusic campaign, welcoming us on numerous occasions for gigs at the pub. It is clear that far more people are using the pub and the work John has done has massively improved the ambiance. He's brought in a table tennis table and transformed the ambiance. It has taken time. Sadly in September, the developer, who had not spoken to John of their plans, dropped a bombshell, as a planning application to knock down the pub appeared on the Barnet Council planning portal. The Barnet Eye blog immediately issued a rallying cry to the local community to object to the plans.

At the heart of the community

That is the background to the campaign. A thriving pub business up against a developer who simply sees the site as a way to make a quick buck (or a million of them). It soon became clear that Barnet Council had been working quietly with the developers for a considerable amount of time behind the scenes on the plan. The Capita run planning department had apparently been advising the developers that there should be know problem getting their plans through. It really is quite astonishing that a local authority should not have considered the impact on local people, but that appears to be exactly what happened. There have been many worries about the effects of outsourcing the running of the planning department and the conflict of interest between the council making decisions and advising developers. The case of the Midland would seem to us to be a prime example.

As a result of the Barnet Eye blog, a flurry of objections were posted on the Council website. Once local people became aware of the issue, a group to Save The Midland was formed. The primary focus initially was on getting as many objections as possible, as this was the number one priority. This was highly successful, getting an unprecedented number (over 600) of objections. Local councillors were contacted, who in turn involved the local MP. Local community groups, both formal and informal were also involved. The next step was to get the pub listed as an asset of community value. This gives the pub a degree of protection from redevelopment, putting major roadblocks in the way of development. Local groups and campaigners made submissions. This then went to council and was granted this week.

This has been a major victory. Of course there are still many things that could happen. The planning application is yet to be officially determined, although it would be perverse if this was now granted. There may be appeals etc. But what the campaign has shown is that when a community gets together, it can change things. My expectation is that this is not done and dusted yet, but I think that ultimately the Midland is now highly likely to survive. The developers are still getting a decent income from the pub so have not lost money. I hope that they realise that they are actually sitting on a great asset, and whatever they do, they put the pub at the heart of it (although I know of few developers who actually think like that).

I think that the Midland Hotel Campaign is an absolute model of how to run a successful campaign.

Here are the key elements.

1. Kick start the campaign using all available social media resources, such as Twitter, Facebook, local bloggers, local Press and local radio. All of these have been deployed by the Save The Midland campaign.

Please join The False Dots and @KidWondR at The Midland Hotel in Hendon at 8:30 on Sat 13 Oct for the @Barneteye blog 10th Birthday Party. Sign the petition to #SaveTheMidland pic.twitter.com/8tOH1ndbij

— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID (@Barneteye) October 5, 2018

Like we need more luxury flats in Hendon !! 😡
Please post objections - details in the blog.
99% is ....... The Barnet Eye: Urgent - Developer plans to knock down the Midland Hotel in Hendon and replace it with luxury flats: https://t.co/g84rq0q3CA

— BarnetHousingAction (@BarnetHaction) September 4, 2018

Dismore joins campaign to save Midland Hotel Hendon https://t.co/EBNVYbkGDf

— Saving London Pubs (@PubsSaving) December 4, 2018

Currently 574 objections overwhelmingly against turning the pub into luxury flat. Fantastic. Let’s get it up to 600 objections to save the Midland Hotel Pub in West Hendon. #SaveTheMidland

— Calvin Casino (@calvincasino) October 18, 2018

2. Set up a committee to manage the campaign. Make sure this includes local people who are directly affected and also people with direct experience of running campaigns. For the Midland Campaign, an absolutely vital aspect was the support of local councillors, notably Councillor Helene Richman, who is a qualified Lawyer and has proven invaluable in ensuring that the campaigns arguments are legally sound. The Rev Julia Candy from St Johns had an influential role in gaining cross community support and should be acknowledged.

3. Ensure that the absolute maximum number of objections are posted. The Save The Midland Campaign actually set up an "objection station" in the pub with a laptop and someone to help locals object. A local council cannot ignore these. If more than five objections are received the scheme has to go the planning committee. If more than 500 are received, councillors will realise that the people who elected them are taking a major interest.

4. See if listing as an Asset of Community Value is feasible. This is the next best thing to being listed to preserve a building. It is worth checking out the details of the Midland application, as this is a model for how to do it.

5. Run local events to raise awareness. The Barnet Eye organised a party, which resulted in a packed pub and a whole stack more objections to the scheme. Ensure that all users of the pub make representations. The ACV application for the Midland had support from CAMRA, The Save London Music Campaign, the Montague Road Association and local residents. Angels Fancy Dress also provided a list of social events at their local pub.

6. Remember the job is never done. I suspect that every pub under threat can expect to have to fight for years, or even decades. Until the planning laws are adjusted to reflect the distortions that skyrocketing property prices are causing in our communities, we will see more not less of this. The Midland is a successful local pub. The only logic for knocking it down is that a developer can make a quick buck. If developers know that an authority is not going to facilitate this, then maybe, just maybe they will think twice. That is why it is so important to fight. Why not pop into the Midland for a pint over Xmas. We will be and why not become a Facebook friend


If you need any help or advice in how to help save your local music venue, please contact the #SaveLondonMusic campaign for advice and help