New offer is submitted for former Boathouse pub site

A NEW dawn could soon be on the horizon for a once-popular riverside pub after an offer was made to buy it.

Burton based property agent A R Argyle revealed that an offer of £186,000 had been put on the table for the old Boathouse Inn, in The Dingle, Stapenhill.

The latest offer comes after it was revealed that a previous proposed deal for the property had fallen through before completion, thus putting the property back on the market.

The site has been derelict since the former pub, latterly an Indian restaurant, closed down in October 2007 and neighbouring residents have regularly expressed their fears over the safety of the derelict state.

A spokesman for the Boathouse4Burton campaign said: “We have noticed A R Argyle FRICS has stated that they have received an offer of £186,000 for the Boathouse.

“We can only hope that this offer is from a party that is interested in the enhancement of the Washlands by turning into a facility for the use of the general public, and not a property speculator whose only interest is making a profit from the site by demolishing the Boathouse and then turning the site into homes — which, as you may recall, has happened to the old ferryman cottages  which are still situated behind the Boathouse.”

News of the site’s potential sale comes after Bernard Peters, ward councillor for Brizlincote on East Staffordshire Borough Council, revealed that the once-mooted plan for the building’s purchase and transformation into a visitor centre by the authority had been replaced with ideas for other potential sites.

Speaking at a meeting of Brizlincote Valley Parish Council, he said: “The borough council will be keeping a close eye on the Boathouse.

“However, at this moment, plans for a visitor or observation centre are more concentrated towards the Blackpool Street side of the Washlands.”