A MAJOR pub chain with more than 4,000 boozers is set to close a village pub within days.
Landlord Stuart Fleming is calling time on Easter Sunday at the Nelson in Burnham Market, Norfolk.
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He said the owners Stonegate Group had hiked up the lease from £55,000 to £87,000 and raised the price of beers, which he has to buy from them.
Stuart, 42, worked at the historic pub which dates back to 1685 before taking on the tenancy with his partner Pauline Royal.
He also claimed the company had refused to negotiate a reduction.
Stuart told the Eastern Daily Press: “Barrels of beer are £200 and there’s just no-one about.
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“Eighty-four per cent of homes in Burnham Market are holiday homes and the locals can’t afford to drink here for £5 – £7 a pint.
“We can go some days and not see a customer until 5pm. Last summer you could walk around here and half the lights were off.
“There is a population, the residents that you depend on and they either can’t afford to go out or they sit at home and have a bottle of wine. Most people haven’t got money to spend.”
In the 2001 census, the permanent population of the village was 948 but this had dropped to 724 in the 2021 count.
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The impact of second homes has sparked a fierce debate among the locals with them voting for curbs on holiday properties.
Stuart estimated he would take around £300 from his customers who would come in for a drink or a meal earlier this week on Monday.
He said the pub needed to bring in £1,500 a day in order to make a profit.
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Enjoying a drink at the time was retired teacher Mary Howard, 96, who said: “I’m going to miss it. He’s welcomed the locals so much, there are senior citizens’ lunches.”
Ian, another regular said: “It’s going to be a horrible loss. It’s the only pub around here where you can sit at the bar for a start.
“It’s my favourite pub. You get the hospitality, the banter, it’s how a pub should be – and I’ve drank in a lot of pubs, believe you me.”
The Stonegate Group has put up banners advertising the vacancy.
Stuart said: “Someone else is coming to look at it, but they can’t do anything different, it’s a seasonal trade business.
‘CHEAPER TO DRINK IN LONDON’
“We went to Spurs football stadium in London last year and had three or four pints – it was cheaper to drink in London than it is here.”
On its website, Stonegate is advertising the Nelson for an “introductory” rent of £1,288 a week with a projected turnover of £639,269.
The advert states: “The main customer trade is made up of locals to Burnham Market and the surrounding villages and towns for its food offering.”
Anyone thinking of taking the pub on will need a deposit of £16,750 and have £5,000 in working capital.
Stuart is giving up the tenancy on April 2 with a new tenant coming in the same day, according to the Stongegate Group.
Most of the seven staff have found other jobs.
Stuart intends to take a month off before joining another hospitality business.
A spokesperson for the Stonegate Group said: “The current publican will be leaving the Nelson, Burnham Market on April 2 following his decision to relinquish his fixed term tenancy agreement.
“Whilst we do not disclose contractual arrangements the figures quoted for the rent are inaccurate and only RPI increases have been applied in line with the tenancy agreement.
“A new publican has now been appointed to the business and looks forward to providing a welcoming hub for the local community and visitors to the area.”
HISTORIC PUB
Records show the Nelson started life as a public house called The Mermaid in 1685.
All Saint’s Church stands opposite the pub, where Horatio Nelson’s father Edmund was the rector.
The Mermaid was renamed in tribute to Admiral Nelson in 1805, following the Battle of Trafalgar, where the navy hero was killed by a sniper as he stood on the deck of HMS Victory.
Over the next two centuries the pub had a variety of names, changing from the Admiral Nelson, to the Admiral Lord Nelson and then Lord Nelson.
When the pub changed hands it a six-year spell as the Jockey but the name was restored in 2011.
PUBS STRUGGLING
It comes after news the Revolution Bars Group is reportedly in talks about shutting the doors on around 20 of its worst-performing pubs.
In January we reported the chain had issued an update on its future after revealing plans to close eight sites and slashing opening hours.
More than 500 British boozers closed their doors for the final time last year.
Crippling taxes and inflation meant the total number of closures since 2017 hit 3,043.
Earlier this month, party tsar Sacha Lord today warned that a worrying rise in British pub closures could spark a crime blitz.
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The Night Time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester also said less boozers could trigger widespread mental health issues among the public.
The rate of pub closures is now at its highest in a decade – with two going bust every day.
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