MADAM,
It is with sadness that I have been reading the recent correspondence in The Monmouthshire Beacon over the last few weeks concerning the application for change of use from pub to private house of the Halfway House, Talycoed.
The present landlord and landlady have their reasons for wanting to convert the 300-year-old inn into a private dwelling, and I understand claim the drop in custom they have experienced renders the business unviable to them.
However, there is evidence in the area of other pubs, which have been at one time or another in similar cirumstances to that of the Halfway House, becoming rejuvenated through a new owner's pro-active approach, arranging promotions and events, attracting interest, support and business both locally and (importantly) further afield.
Some have gone from strength to strength, offering their local and wider community a considerable service and welcome. The Hunter's Moon in Llangattock Lingoed is just one such success story.
Just because one owner may find their pub financially unviable, does not mean that another might not turn the same pub into a thriving and buzzing social centre.
Heulwen Latimer
(by e-mail)