Save The Cricketers And Save History.

18/10/2022

To all our supporters:
https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ViewCase.aspx?caseid=3300689

Some of you may have already received this letter informing you that the current owner of The Cricketers is appealing the Council's decision to reject Change of Use plans submitted last year.
According to the letter, all of our previous comments will already be taken into account, however it would be beneficial if as many of us as possible made further representation at this stage, reiterating our stance on the issue and making it clear to the Planning Inspectorate that the community want to see the Cricketers re-opened as a Public House & Music Venue, and not converted into residential flats.
Key points:
- Current owners purchased the pub, which at the time was trading successfully, with the express intent of seeking residential development
- Following a local campaign, when askef for comment by a Surrey Comet reporter, a representative of the owner reassured the community that the Pub would stay 'essentially the same'
- The pub was re-opened but absolutely no effort was made to make a success of the business. Former regular music nights were cancelled despite best efforts from patrons to re-instate them, the bar was not stocked or run properly, opening times were 'ad-hoc'. As many of you who visited during this time will recall, the pub was completely run into the ground.
- Freehold and leasehold have been on the market since 2019, both at deliberately inflated prices.
- Several interested parties made their approach during this time, however they were informed by the agent that the price was non-negotiable
- If the current owner was willing to negotiate a fair market value for the Freehold, there is considerable interest in purchasing The Cricketers under a Community ownership scheme.
- Residential development has always been their goal, the above were simply tactics employed to make it seem like there was no interest in the Pub, which could not be further from the truth.

24/06/2021

Attention all members of the Cricketers Community!
The time has come and as expected, planning permission has been submitted to Change the Use of the Cricketers to C3 Residential. (21/01903/FUL)
It is worth noting that there are no planning notices to this effect on display ANYWHERE in the are around the pub. We are only now aware of this development (two weeks after plans were submitted) owing to a manual search of the online planning database.
I'm sure you all know the history by now, but i will give a quick recap.

- EI Group sold The Cricketers to a private buyer in 2017, who was seeking residential planning
- The sale price was 1.4m
- Following a successful campaign by the local community in the latter part of 2018, to keep The Cricketers as a Pub and Live Music Venue, plans were scrapped and the pub was reopened by current owners
- In the following year the pub was run into the ground by its new owners, despite efforts from locals to revive the once successful music nights. The Cricketers, which had previously had a strong local following, hosting regular pool and darts tournaments, quiz nights, two open mics per week, and local and international bands every Friday and Saturday, had become a cold and uninviting place, totally void of its former community spirit.
- The Cricketers eventually closed its doors at the end of 2019, and was put on the market.
- The Freehold was listed for 1.65m, which is £250,000 more than they paid two years prior
- Over the next year and a half, at least FOUR interested parties contacted our Community page to express interest in taking over the pub, however they were all ultimately put off by the over-inflated asking price.
- Two of our members attempted to negotiate a new leasehold agreement, however the asking rent of £77,500pa, represented an almost DOUBLING of the amount paid under the previous agreement.
- About a month ago The Cricketers was removed from the market, which brings us to the current Change of Use plans.

We believe that substantial efforts have been made by the current owners to make the pub unnatractive to potential buyers and to make it seem unviable as anything other than residential units.
We all know that this is simply untrue, and that there still remains a SIGNIFICANT local interest in returning The Cricketers to the thriving Pub and Live Music Venue it once was.

We therefore ask for your help in making our case against the Change of Use.

If you are a resident of Kingston Upon Thames, and would like to object to these plans, you can find the Planning Application (21/01903/FUL) via the link below:

https://publicaccess.kingston.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=QUJAOMNHLFS00

There is currently financial support in place by the government for communities to purchase their local pub, this is something that we are interested in and we believe that the community should be given a fair say in the future of this historic Pub.

We will keep you all updated as the situation progresses, in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or for further information.

You may make a comment supporting or objecting to this application. Your comments will be submitted and in due course made available online. We will not display your personal data online.

10/10/2018

Afternoon all!
Our petition to support the 'Asset of Community Value' application has just gone live. Please sign, especially if you live in the borough. The cutoff date is 18th October, at which time it will be presented at a general council meeting on the same day.
Attaining the AoCV status will be invaluable in ensuring that the community has a say in The Cricketers future.

An application has been made by the 'Cricketers Kingston Community Association' to list The Cricketers as an 'Asset of Community Value', which we, the undersigned, fully support. This status would ensure that the local community has a say in any plans that may be detrimental to the future of The Cri...

09/10/2018

In following to our previous post we all need you to like this following group to create The Cricketers as a community asset.
We love all the sterling work you have done.
God bless you all.

https://www.facebook.com/crixcommunity/?__tn__=KH-R&eid=ARCrn_crZUWn99OKy5DMQIWBFHUXKKKXg3GghNoj-u7Hj7zFDdDXmUYGB0DTb4NAq_m0T7wr_VFaCVHK&fref=mentions&__xts__[0]=68.ARDgAOU3FgUZM15whIvzAE0jg5LW9PeUmYRiZtSWSpGjDDgz0pfkq26IL76T2rsYx9Sd8mO3npdShY2TKl-scg5k9fL860fC4DV4FB3T293aAA-eBafBNNTuP-YL8Oj9fdlxNvuj7HCCbQInu6TFNhmMEggju0cb23SHxnq08LtDTXWvPalC

This group is dedicated to preserving The Cricketers, Kingston-Upon-Thames, as a pub, live music venue and community hub.

09/10/2018

Okay people. As expected, there is another petition we need to make for further yet minor changes to the Cricketers Public House and Music Venue. Although these changes seem small, we need to block them because internal changes can go ahead that are off radar.
You all need to click on the council link, as before, and retain the stance we have so boldly held.
We, the people, can prevent a potential disaster and save a community's nest of tranquillity and creativity.

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09/10/2018

Thankyou all for your overwhelming support in ensuring that The Cricketers remains as a pub and live music venue at the centre of our community.
In order to register The Cricketers as an 'Asset of Community Value' I have set up a community group Cricketers Kingston Community Association. This group will serve as the applicant for the AoCV, by 'like'ing the page you become a member of the CKCA, there are of course no obligations on your part, we just need to show the council that we are a community group with active members.
Cheers ears!

08/10/2018

Good people. You have until Friday to appeal this appalling decision.
Follow this link and comment on the council website to SAVE THE CRICKETERS.
Thank you.

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08/10/2018

There is a current proposal in place to redevelop the Cricketers Public House, and change it into a Sh**ha Bar and Restaurant. What the proposition neglects to tell you, is that this historic venue will cease to be a pub. Alcohol will be banned. Music will cease, and if you want to smoke hubbly bubbly's until twelve at night then that is fine.
The Cricketers already has a thriving Sh**ha Bar combined with a successful and peaceful music venue. What are Kingston Council thinking? It is a student based town. Is smoking better than music? Is it? I thought smoking was bad?
And they will be opening later.
There are only two pubs flanking the majestic Fairfield Park of Kingston Upon Thames. They are the two of the oldest and notable pubs in this quiet and social landscape.
Follow this link and protest against this travesty. We have seen too many public houses closed down.
Let's face it, this Sh**ha Bar will fail and it will be sold off as flats unless we do something about it. Make the change. Make it now. Share this, We only have til Friday to muster enough NO votes to stop it. thishttps://maps.kingston.gov.uk/propertyServices/planning/Details?caseNo=1812672,
PLEASE SHARE THIS, SHARE IT ROUND THE WORLD

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