Culverden Hotel to be tavern

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32524, 6 February 1971, Page 14

Culverden Hotel to be tavern

An application by Culverden Hotel, Ltd, for a tavern licence has been granted by the Licensing Control Commission. In a reserved decision, the chairman of the commission (Mr S. T. Barnett) says the application to convert Cuiverden’s only hotel to a tavern was strongly resisted by local interests. “Such demand as there is by genuine travellers is trifling, and the statistical evidence we have points to a dwindling of demand and suggests that it is quite an uneconomic business to keep accommodation available. “We well realise the regret even the indignation

which may be engendered that a rural commercial centre such as Culverden should be deprived of licensed accommodation. However, the commission will not insist that a hotel owner keep his bedrooms and dining room available to the public when these amentities are not used sufficiently to justify the cost of his doing so. “We are ever watchful of the minute minority of hotel owners who discourage the lodger,” Mr Barnett said. “It is with reluctance that we acceded to the wishes of this hotel owner. However, if he does not wish to do so, we do not feel there is sufficently good reason to keep the premises open for accommodation purposes.”