The Ploughman: Future of popular Peterborough pub in doubt following dispute

The Ploughman at the Werrington Centre faces an uncertain future after leaseholder Andy Simmonds announced his intentions to walk away in the summer.

Andy has run the award-winning pub for the last 15 years but has now said that he will walk away after the pub’s charity Beer Fest in the middle of July, at the latest, due to a dispute with the pub’s owners, Melbourne Holdings.

The company has owned the pub – with Andy maintaining ownership of everything inside – for the last five years but a deal for Andy to buy the pub was reportedly agreed in November.

Andy then claims that he was informed at the end of January, while waiting for the paperwork to go through, that the pub was no longer for sale.

Furthermore, he says he was presented with a service charge of £68,000 for use of the centre, which is under shared ownership, including Andy himself.

Andy has said this has left him in a situation of either paying the money or leaving. Currently, the process is in arbitration but Andy had stated his desire to step away, unless a settlement can be found.

His decision has also been hastened by a recent health scare that has also prompted him to begin raising money to fit a defibrillator to the building.

‘It’s my family home’

He said: “I arrived in Werrington in 1980 and grew up here, it’s not just a pub, it’s my family home and I will fight them as much as I can but at some point, the need to look after my health will win.

"My hope is that Melbourne Holdings can come to the table and we can come to an agreement.

"Losing the pub would rip the heart out of the community, it is a real asset of community value. It is a hub for Werrington and all of that work in the community that we have been doing would be destroyed.

"We support the local live music industry, we source most of our food from Moor Farm in Peterborough, we offer a free community room, which is used for a variety of purposes and gatherings and we have Heltwate School as our dedicated charity.

"The Ploughman has around £3,500 to donate to the school and they will be the beneficiaries of the charity Beer Fest in July, which I have now said that I will be leaving after.

"Even if I relocate, I will make my return to Werrington and will oppose any redevelopments that do not bring benefits to Werrington Centre, which is already moving closer to becoming a ghost town.”

The pub itself celebrated its 40th birthday recently and has won a host of awards over the years, including the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) Pub of the Year in 2011 and 2014.

Andy is the longest-serving leaseholder the pub and agreed a 15-year lease in 2018. It is not clear exactly what would happen to the building should the situation not be resolved and Andy ended up being forced to walk away.

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow has offered his support to Andy and is fighting to secure a meeting between the two parties.

He said: “The Ploughman is a popular and successful pub and the idea it could be closed is heartbreaking.

"Simmo is a real character and it would be great if the pub could be sold to him, it would be in safe hands.

"Community pubs should be protected and I will do everything I can to ensure that the Ploughman will be there for years to come.”

Werrington ward councillor John Fox added: “It would be a very, very sad loss if The Ploughman was to go, it is a real pub for the community. It would rip the heart out of the centre.

"I’m lost for words with the situation and want to know why we are not hearing the other side

"I would like to see them sit down with us and come to some arrangement.”

The Peterborough Telegraph has contacted Melbourne Holdings for comment.