Locals fight plans to convert historic pub into smokehouse

unicorn

A campaign to stop an historical pub in Dean Row from being converted into an American barbecue restaurant is gathering pace.

A group of local residents are calling on Wilmslow Town Council and Cheshire East Council to reject a planning application from Hickory's Smokehouse to extend the Unicorn Inn on Adlington Road and convert its use from A4 (drinking establishment) to A3 (restaurant).

So far they have collected over 600 signatures on their petition. They have also persuaded the Town Council to delay the closure date for comments on the planning application and have had it re-listed for discussion at Wilmslow Town Council's Planning Committee meeting on Monday, 9th March.

Steve Cummings, a commercial pilot from Tudor Green, has been running the campaign with fellow patron Brian Geddes.

He said "No one we have spoken to in the local community wants to see an American style diner in place of our 200 year old traditional English country pub. The proposed extensions to the building are too large and are not in-keeping with local area."

The group has managed to have a listing for the building, which has been a public house since at least 1804, included in the Cheshire Archaeology Planning Advisory Services Historic Environment Record. They are also currently pursuing a listing with English Heritage in their local list of historic buildings and requesting that Cheshire East Council recognise it as an Asset of Community Value.

Steve Cummings, 44, and his wife has been patrons of the Unicorn, which is run by The Spirit Group, for around 11 years now.

He added "The pub sits at the very heart of the community, it has a very loyal customer base which has continued to grow in recent months as the threat of it being lost has grown. The level of local support for our campaign has been nothing short of astonishing. We now have over 600 signatures on a written petition against Hickory's planning application."

Hickory's Smokehouse, who have restaurants in Chester, West Kirby and Rhos-on-Sea in North Wales, are keen to dispel concerns that the new bar and restaurant would not cater for the needs of the local community.

The Hickory's team, who all live in Cheshire, say they are "passionate about maintaining the integrity of the original building, parts of which date back to the 1800's, whilst improving disability access and increasing indoor dining and outdoor seating capacity significantly".

Hickory's describe their food as Southern style country cuisine which is served with a selection of local ales and American craft beers. The venue would also have multiple screens showing live sport from football to rugby and NFL action.

Jennie Grimes, who has been with Hickory's since the company was founded six years ago, said "We have a real mix of guests across our sites. We have a strong base of regulars who pop in for drinks after work alongside our families and diners who all have their own dedicated areas.

"The plans for the new bar area in Wilmslow will cater comfortably for around one hundred guests who just fancy a drink, whilst our heated outside areas are the perfect spot for a catch up or bite to eat, whatever the weather.

"We are also very excited about getting to know the local community here in Wilmslow. We have great relationships with a real cross section of groups in our current locations including everyone from local sports teams to schools, colleges and local charities.

"Wilmslow is such a vibrant town, I'm sure there is a lot going on and we are looking forward to becoming part of it."

The planning application from Hickory's Smokehouse comes a year after Simon Kalton put together plans to refurbish the pub, keeping the footprint the same and with a traditional feel. His company Kalton and Barlow run four pubs in the area, including the Ship Inn in Styal which they acquired from The Spirit Group.

A spokesperson for Spirit Pub Company said: "We are currently investigating a number of potential business opportunities for the Unicorn, as we are in the very early stages it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time. We would like to reassure all guests that, until further notice, it is business as usual at the pub."

The plans can be viewed on the Cheshire East Council website. The last date for submitting comments is now 11th March and the application will be considered at a meeting of Wilmslow Town Council's Planning Committee on Monday, 9th March. Full details are in the events calendar.

For further information on the campaign to save the Unicorn click here.

Visit the Hickory's website for more information about their restaurants.

What do you think about plans for a Hickory's Smokehouse on Adlington Road? Share your views via the comment box below.

Tags:
Adlington Road, Hickorys Smokehouse, The Unicorn
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Ryan Dance
Thursday 5th March 2015 at 10:12 pm
Here we go again.... Let the place close. Don't you know the issues / financial problems in the public house trade these days?

No. Let's stop the investment and let it go to the wall.
Colin Price
Thursday 5th March 2015 at 10:25 pm
Please don't be fooled by the quotes from Hickory's. First of all we have seen the plans, there is a small pre drinks area, no bar area. All tables are reserves for diners. The Hickory's management made a promos at the first planning meeting to come and talk to the regular patrons of the pub and discuss our concerns and prove they have our interests at heart. That was 6 weeks ago and not even a phone call has been made. It would be a tragedy to turn an historic pub, into a place that makes TGI Fridays look like a quaint restaurant. Especially when there is also an offer to, take over the place and keep it as a traditional pub, and good food place, and invest in a refurbishment.
Ryan Dance
Thursday 5th March 2015 at 10:37 pm
Maybe the locals are not providing enough profitable trade (after the impact of running costs and taxes) to keep the place exactly as it was?

Maybe change is needed? Or perhaps it goes the same way as the majority of public houses these days. Out of business and redeveloped?

Just a thought.
Angie Thorpe
Friday 6th March 2015 at 2:39 am
I have been to Hickory's in West KirbyWirral, Its so much better than the sticky tabled, ambiance free, empty place it is at moment ! Hickory's chooses a more up market clientele so, they should feel flattered! and these people should also take a visit to west kirby and try out the lovely food before choosing to opine! I hope the permission is passed as i shall be a customer !!
Brian Geddes
Friday 6th March 2015 at 8:20 am
The Spirit group ran the Ship in Styal prior to it being taken over by Simon Kalton and his team.What a transformation in ambience,service and quality of the food.
I have no doubt they will achieve the same success at the Unicorn,if they are allowed the chance.
Their scheme has minimal amendments to the internal layout whilst retaining the bar area with 40 covers plus standing areas and snugs with 20 covers for snacking/drinking.
There are also dining areas with 88 covers.
All of this achieved within the existing building and without the need for an enormous extension at the rear.
Members of the "Save the Unicorn" campaign have visited all three Hickory venues which served our resolve to oppose this proposed change.
Brian Geddes
Friday 6th March 2015 at 8:38 am
We are fortunate the Government are taking a positive attitude to the retention of the
"Great British Pub" by the announcement,on 26 January 2015,of their intention to change the law to give greater protection to these establishments.
Sandra Cox
Friday 6th March 2015 at 9:00 am
With refurbishment and a re-launch as a traditional pub by people who know what they are doing, the Unicorn could attract new customers and be very successful.
The very best of luck to the 'Save the Unicorn' campaign.
Mark Russell
Friday 6th March 2015 at 9:17 am
Perhaps if these 600 people who are so keen to sign a petition maybe went in the Unicorn and spent some money, perhaps the pub wouldnt be in decline like so many others. Money talks, talk is cheap.
Nick Jones
Friday 6th March 2015 at 9:52 am
A successful venture of some sort ...is better than some of the redevelopment options that could be presented ...( Adlington Road)...This is a large plot of land that no doubt could be used for commercial / residential purposes if all goes wrong....
So for my money a micro brewery pub type development .. or similar..would be ideal... But its not my money.
It used to be a vibrant place,but now needs an injection of cash and fresh ideas to succeed as either a pub or a restaurant. If it doesn't appeal to residents ( as now ) whatever replaces it will potentially suffer the same demise.
Local opinion does count and shouldn't be ignored.
Is it any wonder that Whitbread diversified into the Costa coffee chain, where the high profits from a pint of water with coffee far exceed the profit margin,taxation and licensing implications from a pint of water with hops.
Ryan Dance
Friday 6th March 2015 at 10:00 am
Well said Mark Russell.

A number of wilmslow.co.uk contributors have idealistic views of the business world. Clearly the Unicorn "as it was" needs to change...maybe the owners should let it close and redevelop it into apartments...maybe it should stand empty for the benefit of nostalgia.
Philip Lloyd
Friday 6th March 2015 at 10:29 am
Hickory's should be sited around Handforth Dean where Obit/Jones/Emerson's I'm sure would be happy to find/build suitable premises, it would get a lot more trade and not destroy a unique old pub. Or how about the old Sports bar in Wilmslow or even the Swan in the town centre much more Wilmslow !

With investment money and a quality owner that cares as proven by Simon Kalton's pub ventures the Unicorn would remain a community asset and provide a lovely pub in a country environment. Spirit Groups management and investment in this pub has been a joke for many years.

KEEP THE UNICORN SMOKEHOUSE FREE !!!
Sandra Cox
Friday 6th March 2015 at 11:45 am
If the Ship Inn can be turned around, why not the Unicorn?
If Simon Kalton and his team are prepared to invest money in it, they must feel they have more than a good chance of succeeding - they have proved they are not fools so why not back them? This country needs to keep its character (apart from anything else it is what attracts tourists who help the economy) and country pubs play their part in that so with the correct approach many new customers may come from the 600 who have signed the petition but had given up on the Unicorn in its present incarnation.
Graham Shaw
Friday 6th March 2015 at 11:46 am
We need to ask Spirit Group why they moved a successful young manager from the pub who was turning things around. In fact he was so successful he won an all expenses holiday to Dubai for himself and his partner for being the best manager around. Yet shortly after his return from his holiday he was told to move to another pub. Do Spirit Group want the pub to fail in order to sell it to Hickory's?
Also local history is on the side of the campaign with 2 failed burger businesses - Gourmet Burger in Wilmslow town centre and the old American Diner on London Rd South, Adlington. Surely it's clear that this type of business / food is not for this area?
Local pubs have been successfully turned around with The Farmers Arms in Poynton and The Pointing Dog in Bramhall as good examples.
As the saying goes 'Build it and they will come' - but at least build the right thing. The local community have made their feelings plain, they do want a local pub with the right atmosphere and most importantly the right food on offer.
Lesley Seddon
Friday 6th March 2015 at 6:04 pm
I'd be a Hickory's customer too. I think it would be a vast improvement on the Unicorn. The Ship Inn at Styal is very nice and the food is ok but it isn't that fantastic.
Sandra Martin
Friday 6th March 2015 at 9:37 pm
Regrettably the Unicorn has lost local custom because it was repeatedly badly managed, lost a valuable income from sacking the very successful Quiz Night organiser and employed a succession of poor chefs serving pretty dreadful food. Since moving to the area 7 years ago, we've repeatedly "given it a second chance" but it has continued to disappoint. If those 600 people who are petioning had put their money behind the bar on a regular basis then the pub would be viable. Many people like me have chosen not to continue to prop up a business which delivers poor quality. I have no experience of this new food chain which is taking over but we'll give it a try and assess the quality of its food and service in comparison to others on offer in the town. I'm afraid I fail to see why townsfolk would opt to eulogise and protect a collection of old bricks rather than embrace its resurrection as a thriving business delivering quality to its residents.
Mark Jarvis
Saturday 7th March 2015 at 12:18 pm
It baffles me how there can be so many narrow minded people dedicating their time to stopping growth in a potentially thriving place like wilmslow.
By all the previous reviews it seems the place has been suffering from low trade for years now. Doesn't it strike anyone as odd that these people can dedicate so much time to supporting it after the place has been doomed but had no interest in spending any of their money keeping it open. It's laughable!
The only part of any of these negative, naive and unfounded comments that I agree with is that we all miss the local pub without the noise of children and quiet enough to speak to the 7 or 8 others that are holding the beer stained bar up. However this is the real world and these pubs can't survive because of breweries hiked up and extortionate rates and lack of employment skills to recruit professional operators.
Clearly there has been no research on the hickorys concept and their sister operations. All three of the chester sites are in the top 20 on trip advisor out of 424.
It's obvious that all the 600 opposies want a new convenience store so why don't they spend more time voicing there narrow minds to LIDL or ALDI and get them to invest some money into it!!!!!!!! One things for sure, regardless of opposition it will NEVER remain as an empty beaten up pub.
Stop whinging, get a life and grow up!!!
DELETED ACCOUNT
Saturday 7th March 2015 at 1:12 pm
I think everyone wants a venture to suceed. The Unicorn can be revamped and with the right food and ambience would be able to attract customers all day - which is the key to commercial success in the restaurant/catering business. A Hickory Smokehouse during the day would attract whom? Children would be at school and Mum's would frequent the numerous coffee shops in Wilmslow town centre. A number of local pubs have been turned around by providing quality food at reasonable prices in the day time. - and as a result they have been able to pack people in in the fifty plus age group. If Handforth Dean diversifys more into retail and lesisure than there might be enough people from Cheshire and Stockport to sustain a venture of this kind there. As to the food on offer - I have only been taken to one. I don't tend to go for quantity of food or American Craft Beers. There are local craft breweries in Knutsford and Macclesfield.
Matthew Cheetham
Saturday 7th March 2015 at 5:11 pm
How many people who have signed the petition have been in the Unicorn in 2015? Very few I suspect.

It's my nearest pub and I've never seen more than 10 people in there, so it's clearly not economically viable in its current format.

I welcome anyone who is going to invest in the Unicorn, create local employment and hopefully reinvigorate this in to a thriving going concern for the neighbourhood.
Mark Goldsmith
Saturday 7th March 2015 at 7:07 pm
Blimey. If every failed restaurant in Wilmslow was turned into a pub we would have wall to wall boozers.

So just because one owner is struggling at the Unicorn doesn't mean all pubs there will fail too.

By that rule, failing companies would never ever be saved and turned around.

So being labelled a Luddite by the economically illiterate who don't even realise this basic principle is rather ironic.
Ryan Dance
Saturday 7th March 2015 at 9:10 pm
....there isn't always a +600 strong petition when failed restaurants opt to turn into pubs (seldom does this happen).

I would say economically illiterate would be defined as "protesting against sensible capital investment in a badly underinvested product / service because we object to the concept".

Crikey - most pubs are crying out for investment...(any investment).
Andrew Wright
Sunday 8th March 2015 at 8:50 am
I visited the Hickory in Chester last weekend with my grown up children and have to say I found the ambiance very pleasant. You could drink or eat and the food selection was excellent. It was obviously based in an old pub and the scare mongering from residents doesn't ring true with what I have seen. I know which incarnation I would visit....
Steve Savage
Monday 9th March 2015 at 9:22 am
Does anyone remember the days before Spirit when John Berry ran the Unicorn as a highly successful "INDEPENDENT" pub with outstanding food and great service? It was busy both lunchtime and evenings and people came from all the local villages to drink and eat there. Then John left and Spirit got their dirty mitts on it and everything changed. Menus designed by accountants, microwave/boil in the bag food and a steady succession of Managers (some good, some not so good), coupled with a total lack of investment. I, (along with many other regulars) stopped drinking at the Unicorn about 8 years ago as it became quite a depressing environment. I would love the Unicorn to remain a traditional Pub and hope that the Simon Kalton will be given the opportunity to transform the business. Make no mistake....people will come if the offering is of a good standard. SAVE THE UNICORN!!!
Sandra Cox
Monday 9th March 2015 at 10:47 am
Yes Steve, I remember how the Unicorn was when John Berry ran it and how it thrived. We were regulars then. It used to be a really lovely pub and I agree with all you say. I agree too with Jackie Pass that, if improved as a pub, it could attract custom from retired people during the daytime. Before the younger element groan that it would become an old-fossils watering hole, it used to attract all age groups at all times including office workers who also used it regularly at lunchtimes.
Jon Armstrong
Monday 9th March 2015 at 12:48 pm
We last went in about a year ago and, after looking around and seeing the menu, left without spending any money.

It seemed like it couldn't decide what sort of place it should be. If it wanted to be a "propping up the bar with a pint of mild" sort of place then it's too far out of the town and too many customers would have to drive, meaning it has to live or die by its food.

But then the menu was nothing you'd imagine anyone would drive there for. If they want cheap and cheerful then the Bollin Fee is in a much better location and much lighter and airier. If they want something a bit more than that there is a lot of competition within a few miles... I can't think of any reason anyone would go there ahead of the Honey Bee, the Coach and Four or the Shipp Inn, for example.
Brian Geddes
Wednesday 11th March 2015 at 2:25 pm
Wilmslow Town Council’s Planning Committee recommend refusal of this application on the grounds of it being inappropriate due to the scale of the extension and the increased prominence of the building in relation to the Greenbelt and Area of Special County Value.

Thankfully there are those amongst us who have regard for our Culture and Heritage.
Mark Russell
Thursday 12th March 2015 at 12:33 pm
Oh well, another empty building and lost jobs then. But at least Brian will have his culture and heritage to look at as he walks on past with the windows boarded up.
Jon Armstrong
Thursday 12th March 2015 at 2:47 pm
Since I moved to Wilmslow there must be at more than half a dozen pubs or bars in or around the town that have closed. Off the top of my head I can remember the Blue Lamp (demolished), George and Dragon (redeveloped for other use), Dinks (now a restaurant), Swan (boarded up), The Rectory (now a restaurant), Hogshead (boarded up), The Boardroom (can't remember what it used to be called, now redeveloped and empty)... I'd probably think of more given the time. I can't think of any new pubs that have opened in premises that wasn't already a pub with a different name, so there is a definite net reduction in pubs.

These didn't close because someone wanted to disregard our "culture and heritage"... they closed because times have changed, people don't go to pubs as much, and the owners couldn't make them work.
Ryan Dance
Thursday 12th March 2015 at 3:27 pm
On the money Mark! Well said.
Pete Taylor
Thursday 12th March 2015 at 4:21 pm
WTC Planning Committee don't have the power to refuse anything. They can only make recommendations; quite often disregarded in the past. It's not over yet!