County council rejects climate emergency call

The manager of a historic pub in Lincoln has told The Lincolnite how the team are enjoying life under new ownership and looking forward to a refurbishment in the new year.

Valerie Hope and her husband Michael first opened the Wig & Mitre on Lincoln’s Steep Hill on December 14, 1977, where the Bishop of Lincoln at the time, Simon Phipps, pulled the first pint. The pub later moved a few doors on to 30-32 Steep Hill where it has been ever since.

Michael sadly died of cancer in 2012 before Valerie decided to retire earlier this year. Licensed and leisure property specialists Everard Cole marketed the two-storey Grade II Listed building for freehold offers in the region of £1.5 million.

The pub was taken over by RedCat Pub Company on October 20 this year and manager Emily North is one of two staff to have stayed on. Most of the staff team is new as others decided to leave over the last year, with new kitchen and front of house staff coming in.

Emily, who has worked at the pub for eight years, told The Lincolnite there have been some customers worried about whether ‘The Wig’ will now lose a bit of its quirk after the refurbishment in January 2022, but she has assured that its essence will remain.

She said: “It shouldn’t change too much. There is still a sense of community and they (the new owners) are letting us decide about food and drink, and to have a say on the refurb. I think some people are worried about it (the refurb) as ‘The Wig’ has a bit of a quirk, but they shouldn’t worry as the essence of the pub will remain the same.

“It has been really busy getting ready for Christmas and with the Christmas Market panic setting us, but they (RedCat) have been really good with anything we have needed.

“It was stressful at first but we are finding our feet now and RedCat have been really supportive.”

Inside the Wig & Mitre on Lincoln’s Steep Hill. | Photo: Everard Cole

She added that they were given a lot of notice when the pub went up for sale and that previous owner Valerie Hope kept her and the staff up-to-date throughout the process.

The Wig & Mitre has previously been described as a “local institution” and occupies buildings dating back to the 14th century.

It was reported by the Morning Advertiser earlier this month that RedCat Pub Company had acquired the Turks Head in Hasketon in Suffolk, taking the estate to 77 sites ( a combination of managed and tenanted) . They reported that former Greene King boss Rooney Anand had raised £200 million to invest in Britain’s pub sector, who is the executive chairman of RedCat Pub Company.

The first acquisition of 42 former Stonegate sites for an undisclosed sum was made in March this year, comprising of 30 freehold and 12 leasehold sites, according to The Caterer.

RedCat own two other pubs in Lincolnshire, both in Bourne – The Jubilee Garage, and Smiths of Bourne.

A 59-year-old man from Grimsby has been jailed for three years after so-called ‘paedophile hunters’ caught him on his way to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

Brian Royston was intercepted by members of Elusive Child Protection Unit at a train station in Handforth, Cheshire on October 3, where he believed he was meeting up with a 13-year-old girl.

The paedophile hunter group then had a heated exchange with Royston about his intentions, all of which was caught on camera, before he was taken away by police.

Upon meeting Royston, the hunters ask him a series of questions in regards to his relationship with the alleged victim, who happened to be a decoy account, which he was unaware of.

It was discovered that he had packed condoms to meet the 13-year-old girl, highlighting his sexual intentions with her, before the hunters read out some of his explicit message exchanges.

You can watch the full 26 minute video of the group’s sting on Brian Royston by visiting their Facebook page.

Brian Royston, of Scartho Road in the North East Lincolnshire town, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, during a hearing at Chester Crown Court.

The 59-year-old was jailed for three years, half of which will be served on licence, and he will be placed on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

After his sentencing, Elusive Child Protection Unit, which has over 40,000 page likes on Facebook, said: “[It’s the] fastest turn around we have seen, charged and sentenced in under two months.

“Massive well done to all the team, including hunters and our faithful security, job well done guys!”

More than 1,500 homes across two major developments in Bracebridge Heath are up for approval before North Kesteven District Council next Tuesday.

Jesus College Oxford’s application for 450 homes on land north of Canwick Avenue, and Church Commissioners for England’s application for 1,123 homes off Sleaford Road, include major chunks of land allocated for the Lincoln South Eastern Quadrant.

The authority’s planning committee will be recommended to approve both builds, despite objections from local residents and councils.

Jesus College Oxford’s plans cover 28 hectares in total and also include the provision of land for a primary school and a new four-arm roundabout on Canwick Avenue. It will also include pedestrian and cycle access and developers say the layout will allow a “high degree of connectivity”.

The larger 45 hectare plans, from Church Commissioners for England, would be built on three parcels of land, and will include 2.6 hectares of employment land including a “broad mix from shops to restaurants, offices/light industrial, clinics and health centres and assembly and leisure facilities”.

Both plans had received 36 objections each from local residents at the time of the report with concerns including the usual suspects of transport, insufficient infrastructure and road networks, and overdevelopment of the area.

An artist’s impression of the entrance to the 1,123 home site.

Branston and Meres and Canwick Parish Councils have also objected to the larger plans, with both noting a new school should be included, the suggestion being that it is placed on Canwick Avenue.

Meanwhile Branston and Heighington Parish Councils have objected to the smaller of the developments.

Recommending approval, however, officers said both developments would “help satisfy and deliver across a wide range of the economic, social and environmental roles of sustainable development” and would “create a high quality, sustainable development, the residual impacts of which can be appropriately mitigated”.

Indicative plans for the 450-home proposals.

If approved, the 450-home development would need to include 20% affordable housing, £3,742 per home on sustainable transport, £864 per home on recreation, £308 per home for a new community centre, £632.50 per home on health care and £684.50 per home towards education.

The larger development would be asked to pay similar amounts, except in education where it would be asked to pay £2,486.50 per home.