Tenants of a popular Grampound pub have called upon council chiefs to turn their establishment into a community asset after being told it was being “sold from under them”.
Neil Jackson said that four years ago he and his family became tenants at the Dolphin Inn in Grampound, which sits on the A390 between St Austell and Truro.
He said: “After being medically retired from a 20-year career at an oil refinery due to Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, we chose this pub because it came with an option to buy. We have been running this establishment as a family without any external staff.”
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Neil said his son, Robbie, had worked as the landlord for the pub and had “only ever worked for St Austell Brewery”.
However, due to the impact of Covid-19 on their business operations, the family was unable to meet the bank’s lending criteria which requires an unbroken period of three years.
Neil said: “To our dismay and without warning, St Austell Brewery has sold our beloved pub from under us. This is despite having an agreement in place that gave us an option to purchase.”
He said the pub is one of 17 the brewery has sold to Ipswich-based Red Oak Taverns, a national pub operator that rents pubs out to landlords.
Neil said: “We only came to this pub because there was an option to buy. Because of Covid we had the gap and then we were given a new contract and the option to buy was taken out. They even asked us if we were still looking to buy and we said yes. Then on Monday we had a meeting and they told us they’d sold it – they sold it from under us.
“We’ve spent a fortune on this pub over the last four years, had work done and paid for it ourselves because we had always intended it to be ours. We’re never going to get that money back.
“The place used to have an Asset of Community Value on it but it lapsed in May. The village didn’t take it out again – because they thought we were going to buy it. Sadly, I don’t think St Austell Brewery will stop the sale, but I just don’t want anyone else to go through what we’ve gone through. We’ve literally lost our home from under our feet.
“This was meant to be a celebratory week – we were getting a professor over from Italy after raising £20,000 for a machine to treat Multiple Sclerosis patients.”
The Dolphin Inn’s Facebook page notes that the first patient to be treated with the “muscular acoustic modulator” will be a woman from the village of Grampound whose story inspired Neil to set about raising the money for the machine.
He said: “We’ve had a horror story of a week when we should’ve been celebrating.”
In his campaign petition – which can be signed here – Neil said he and his family are calling on Cornwall Council and all relevant authorities to pause the ongoing sale process “so that we can have a fair chance at purchasing this establishment.”
Neil said: “The Dolphin Inn is not just another business; it is part of Grampound’s heritage and community fabric. Pubs like ours are vital for local economies. They provide jobs, directly or indirectly, for around 900,000 people in UK according to British Beer and Pub Association statistics.
“We urge you all who value community spirit and local heritage preservation in Grampound, Truro, UK or anywhere else across the globe – stand with us.
“Please sign this petition today! Together we can save The Dolphin Inn for future generations while preserving its unique character within our community.”
CornwallLive has contacted St Austell Brewery for comment.
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
