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.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
No. Let's stop the investment and let it go to the wall.
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.
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.
"Great British Pub" by the announcement,on 26 January 2015,of their intention to change the law to give greater protection to these establishments.
The very best of luck to the 'Save the Unicorn' campaign.
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.
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.
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 !!!
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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.
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).
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.
Thankfully there are those amongst us who have regard for our Culture and Heritage.
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.