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Irish Quarter pub battle goes to court LANDLORD John
Tighe was this week preparing for a crucial phase in his battle with developers
over the future of a famous Irish venue.
The man behind the renowned Spotted Dog pub in the Digbeth area of Birmingham
is battling against a noise abatement order slapped on his famous hostelry
after complaints from nearby residents.
It comes amid an on-going row over council plans to turn the area into
a so-called Irish Quarter.
A series of large apartment blocks are being created around the Spotted
Dog — but John and other residents claim the new development will
be anything but Irish once completed.
The noise complaints relate to Irish traditional music nights in the outdoor
pub garden at the rear of the Spotted Dog.
They came from residents of the Abacus building — a former warehouse
converted to apartments where the cheapest property costs in the region
of £100,000.
This week John will appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court to fight the
noise abatement order — a move which is costing him dear in legal
fees.
And he’s also unveiled another weapon in his battle — bottles
of top-rated wine labelled Keep Digbeth Noisy.
The wine is now in great demand not just behind the bar of John’s
pub but with other landlords in the area.
John said: “We have been here for over two decades and when people
chose to purchase an apartment nearby they must have known that there
was a pub nearby which had a long history of outdoor music sessions.”
Support for John has resulted in over 1,000 signatures on the website
www.keepdigbethvibrant.co.uk.
A special debate on the future of Digbeth and the Irish Quarter will also
be held at The Spotted Dog on September 6 at 7.45pm.
The debate will include a look at how to balance the area’s traditional
character with residents demands for peace and quite.
A representative from the Dublin-based Connuaght Square group which has
plans for a new Irish Centre will also be present.
John is urging everybody interested in the future of the area to come
along to ensure Digbeth does not lose its Irish soul to developers.
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