The future of The Thomas Farley public house is up in the air after The Chronicle learned that negotiations between the managing agent and Antic London have broken down. 

It was rumoured that Chicken Cottage were going to lease the pub but this has been denied by the fast food chain and Golfrate property management company, which is managing the building on behalf of the pub’s owners Iconic Properties Ltd.

Now the council has stepped in to try and broker a deal as Antic London have confirmed they still want to take on the lease for the pub which is locally listed. Danish Hanif, from Golfrate insisted that Antic London were never due to take “any lease whatsoever” but Antic say they have email proof to the contrary.

There does now seem to be an increasing gulf between the two parties over the lease and the biggest losers if the deal doesn’t now go through will be the community.

Iconic Properties Ltd, who are incorporated in the Isle of Man, outbid pub chain Antic London for The Thomas Farley when it was sold by Hawthorne Leisure after the pub closed last July.

A planing application was approved for continued use of the ground and lower ground floors as pub and social hall and conversion of the upper floors for flats – indicating the pub was likely to reopen soon with Antic due to sign the lease.

*Meanwhile the empty HSBC building just doors away from the pub had been under offer but it also emerged this week that prospective buyer has pulled out and now it looks like the premises will be auctioned.

*There are now 11 shops sitting empty on the High Street/Brigstock Road – more then when the regeneration began. None of the landlords have taken up the council’s offer of subsidised rents to reactive empty shops.

*Now an application for another takeaway on the High Street has been submitted by Niazi Khan for change of use from a grocery store to a takeaway pizza and chicken shop. There are already numerous fast food outlets in the main shopping area. The council has a policy on areas where there are high concentrations of takeaways.

*Concern was also expressed when a fishmonger set up shop in the converted Link Telecom internet cafe at 6 Cotford Parade but it appears to have shut as quickly as it opened and would require a change of use.

A planing application to sub divide the premises in to two retail units to use as an internet cafe and takeaway restaurant was refused in January. It is unclear whether this went to appeal but the property has since been sub divided.