howard mcsweeney1 wrote:I suspect that a local busybody has put the frighteners on others, getting them to put protest letters in.
That is indeed the case, Howard. Many of the letters were photocopied and then individually signed. I don't know whether the motivation is personal antipathy or ignorant nimbyism.
Because the overheads involved in running micropubs are so small, they only need a modest amount of trade to succeed. Many are run by couples where one partner has another full time job, you can't do that with a large pub. They are therefore more of a threat to the traditional pubs than to each other. I can foresee a time when most towns the size of Dover just have a Wetherspoons and about 20 micros.