MORE than 130 people attended a meeting at the Crabshell Inn on Monday evening to discuss the future of the Kings Arms in Kingsbridge. People squeezed in to every corner, with late-comers gathering on the stairs to listen to six speakers discuss the impact the closed hotel has had on the town, and what can be done to spur the current owners into action. A petition circulating throughout the town has now attracted more than 500 signatures - calling on Motcomb Estates to ‘work with the local community to restore the Kings Arms to its historic role as a focal point in the town.’ Rosemary Dunstan, one of the organisers of the meeting, opened the event. She disputed the assessment from the owners, Motcomb Estates - agents of the Reuben brothers, that the top of Kingsbridge is dead. She drew attention to newly refurbished neighbouring businesses Stark, Bumbles and Horizons as proof that there is life at the top of Fore Street. Rosemary went on to mention that since the hotel has been closed, it has been broken into twice, cars have been vandalised in the car park and is a potential fire hazard. To cheers, she finished by saying: ‘We need a hotel. All we’re saying is it’s for the town to decide!’ It was through Rosemary’s persistence that the town managed to receive a response from the owners of the hotel, after she requested Totnes MP Dr Sarah Wollaston to make contact on the town’s behalf. This followed about 18 months of silence from the Reuben brothers and their agents, with several letters being sent from the town council, district and county councillors. Last week, Humphrey Voelcker from Motcomb Estates wrote letters to Dr Wollaston, Kingsbridge and Salcombe Chamber of Commerce and town mayor Cllr Wayne Grills requesting a meeting, stating: ‘We were extremely disappointed to see the article regarding the Kings Arms in the online edition of the Gazette. We stated we were open to discussions and highlighted that it is not in our interest to have a closed property. ‘We were therefore surprised as to why there was no reply to either letter encouraging further dialogue, especially when there is so much attention focused on the Kings Arms.’ However, district and county councillor Rufus Gilbert said he has now written to Mr Voelcker to question why he wasn’t invited to the meeting - being a district councillor on the planning committee - and to take issue with their claims of a lack of dialogue, saying: ‘Motcomb Estates submitted a pre-planning enquiry in April 2015 which officers then discussed with them. They were informed that an application for 100 per cent housing would be unsuitable - but that consideration would be given to a mixture of commercial and residential space. We were hoping to receive a planning application following this, but are yet to hear anything.’ At the meeting, Cllr Gilbert warned: ‘We should remember we’re not the only Kings Arms in the country. We’ll keep going, but be warned, they are tricky people to deal with. They are a hard bunch and know the value of money.’

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