Chestertons - the opposing views

Many residents in the village will have seen a copy of the ‘Save our Village Store’ leaflet that has been distributed. To help people understand the issues we give the opposing views below.

Here is the wording of the ‘Save our Village Store’ leaflet (see below for Chestertons’ response):

Save our village store!

Ditchling Residents we need your help...

Please help to oppose the application for Chesterton's to be granted an A3 license and ON license. The shop has now closed and will be re-opened as a café or restaurant if the licenses are granted. We urge you to oppose this application as soon as possible or our village convenience store will be lost forever! To oppose the A3 license please write to Samantha Prior at Planning and for the ON license please write to the licensing officer, both at the address below:

Lewes District Council Southover House Southover Road Lewes East Sussex BN7 1AB

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Chestertons have responded by posting a notice of the shop-front headed “Statement of Facts”, worded as follows:

Statement of Facts

Due to the recent events; we speak of course of the 'anonymous' Save Our Village Shop Campaign' along with extravagant rumours regarding our business we feel it is important that you are provided with the facts.

• We are currently closed for a refurb that was scheduled to take place close of 4th July - 4th August and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.
• The refurb is to allow us to rejuvenate the business and decorate around our new retail direction; Homemade Specialities, High-Quality Imported Foods and Oils, Boutique Chocolates, Wine and Flowers - we have been accepted by Interflora, seasonal specialities like cheese and fresh produce and we will also be putting energy behind our catering and event services... Alas the Deli has gone however there will be a 'Deli to Order' menu for customers wishing for quality products for lunches, picnics and dinner parties. We will continue with our gourmet takeaway sandwich menu which has gathered quite a momentum, especially for the hot roast pudding beef and stuffing roll.
• The refurb reflects the trends and strengths of our business in the current climate. The time has come to modernise our business as the 'village shop' format is no longer an essential part of the fabric of contemporary village life. However adapting to new needs is positive move forward and should ensure longevity.
• We currently have A3 (restaurant status) on the 1st floor and were approached by the council to legitimise the tables we have always had on the Ground Floor by applying for A3. This happened a day or so before the scheduled works and we think this is great for the business community and more importantly our customer base.
• Because we have been successfully serving food for 3.5 years we have applied for a License to enable the sale and consumption of alcohol on the premises - many customers asked for this service to complete their experience.

Should an A3 application be approved then theses premises are secure for life and this building should never sit empty. More importantly we will be able to continue to offer an exciting alternative to the existing pub culture with our relaxed cafe/food retail environment.

Think; perfect breakfasts, luscious elevenses, enchanted coffees, lingering lunches, heavenly afternoon teas and sociable suppers made from the best of the season with a glass of your favourite tipple ... who could object to that?

Wherever we get with these plans, the premises will be fresh and fabulous and no less than your expectations. Wish us the best and thank you for dropping by.

If you feel like us and believe the future plans sound delicious then please grab a slip and let Samantha Prior our Planning Officer know that we bring colour to the High Street and your lives ... see you on the other side.

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If you wish to make a comment on these issues, you are welcome to use the "Forum / Ditchling Talk" facility on this website.