LOCALS have hit out after JD Wetherpoon abandoned plans to redevelop a seaside pub leaving an ‘eyesore’ in its place.
The pub chain has stopped building work at The Mariner pub in New Brighton.
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The site, which shows exposed brick work and plastic sheeting, is surrounded by wooden hoardings,
Earlier this week the chain confirmed that it shelved plans to make The Master Mariner 50% bigger. Wetherspoon will now sell the land.
The pub opened in 2013 and was popular with locals and day trippers to the town.
The half finished building will now be sold to the highest bidder. Locals in the town said they were sorry to see an eyesore in the heart of New Brighton’s promenade.
Tony Hawkes said he would miss steak night at the waterfront pub. He said to The Sun: “We loved the Wetherspoons for a steak. We used to go once a week and really looked forward to it.
“It’s such a shame and bad for the town.”
Ethel Kennedy, from West Derby in Liverpool, said: “Whenever we had a day out here ( New Brighton) we would go into the Wetherspoons for a drink.
“I used to have a whisky and it was the highlight of our day out. We also loved the chippy here and the beach.
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“But a nice drink in the Wetherspoons was always a treat. It’s such a shame to look at it now.”
Sheila Mahoney: “I just want the owners to do something with it. They can’t leave it like that. It’s such a shame.”
Philip Hughes: “You can’t just leave it to become yet another eye sore. It used to be a nice pub.”
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said to the Wirral Globe: “Wetherspoon can confirm that it has stopped redevelopment work at The Master Mariner pub (New Brighton) and will not progress with the work.
“The building and the land is to be put up for sale. All staff will continue to work at other Wetherspoon pubs and there will be no redundancies as a result of the pub being sold.
“This is a commercial decision by Wetherspoon.
“The company remains committed to the Wirral and have a number of pubs in the region, including the recently opened pub in Heswall.”
Last year Wetherspoons put 32 pubs up for sale as the chain faced rising costs on the high street.
Spoons boss Tim Martin said far more people now drink in their homes rather than in pubs.
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