The Happy Prospect Public House continues to be a blight despite the promises and commitments from the rich absent owners, who don't care about the area. Southcote Councillors have pushed the owners and council into acting to firstly,secure the building and secondly, to develop the housing site people of Southcote are looking for, as well as provide a community space Southcote people need.
Below is the press release on the security of the Happy Prospect.
READING & DISTRICT LABOUR PARTY MEDIA RELEASE
31 July 2010
Labour backs Council’s action to get Southcote’s Happy Prospect secured
Moves by the planning enforcement team at Reading Borough Council to get the owners of the long-closed Happy Prospect pub to secure the building against further vandalism and arson have been strongly supported by the ward’s Labour Councillors.
Southcote Councillor Pete Ruhemann says: “The Council has been getting complaints about the state of the Happy Prospect since at least 2007, has been pressing the owners for action, and has boarded the place up itself on several occasions. Officers are now warning the owners that unless they act soon the Council will issue a formal ‘section 215’ notice requiring the appearance of the building to be improved and access to it secured, and I hope the owners now take note.
“Sadly,” he says, “plans for flats for the disabled to be built on that site, with a contribution towards community facilities for the estate, have been just another casualty of the Conservative/LibDem Coalition cutting back on investment in social housing. Funds that were planned to be used are just no longer available and we’re having to look for other options. Which puts an onus on securing the building urgently before any more serious damage takes place.”
No comments:
Post a Comment