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Broadshaven


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I respect people’s views (we all have our own) but things do change, and expectations of places rise – just as accommodation has changed rather a lot in the last 5 or so years with improvements to boats and land based lets to reflect that of many people’s own home improvements or increased expectations.

 

I may not know Potter Heigham as well as some, but I am taking it for how many who visit the area see it – not as it once was, but as it is now.

 

However you arrive, and whatever your purpose for visiting there is a great deal of people who feel the place is left lacking somewhat.  It need not need a new glossy development, but I do feel something more diverse than a pub is needed. 

 

There are a great deal of people who do not like pubs even if they do nice food.  I know that is shocking but that is increasingly how things are, which is why other forms of eating out and socialising are increasing.  Far more people in my area will pay quite a lot money for traditional charcoal grilled meats with rice and fresh baked bread in a Turkish restaurant and have no alcohol than go to the local pub which are slowly dying out even when ‘poshed up’.

 

There are plenty of pubs on the Broads, so I believe by having a more centrally focused ‘hub’ that caters for many tastes – and is somewhere you can go to for a drink with local friends, or a meal in the evening and do next door be able to do some shopping can well benefit everyone not just a few.

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I respect people’s views (we all have our own) but things do change, and expectations of places rise – just as accommodation has changed rather a lot in the last 5 or so years with improvements to boats and land based lets to reflect that of many people’s own home improvements or increased expectations.

 

I may not know Potter Heigham as well as some, but I am taking it for how many who visit the area see it – not as it once was, but as it is now.

 

However you arrive, and whatever your purpose for visiting there is a great deal of people who feel the place is left lacking somewhat.  It need not need a new glossy development, but I do feel something more diverse than a pub is needed. 

 

There are a great deal of people who do not like pubs even if they do nice food.  I know that is shocking but that is increasingly how things are, which is why other forms of eating out and socialising are increasing.  Far more people in my area will pay quite a lot money for traditional charcoal grilled meats with rice and fresh baked bread in a Turkish restaurant and have no alcohol than go to the local pub which are slowly dying out even when ‘poshed up’.

 

There are plenty of pubs on the Broads, so I believe by having a more centrally focused ‘hub’ that caters for many tastes – and is somewhere you can go to for a drink with local friends, or a meal in the evening and do next door be able to do some shopping can well benefit everyone not just a few.

That is like saying every quaint village in England needs a Bistro and a gastro pub complete with disco  :hardhat:  Do you happen to live in  a city, Robin? Yes, I see from your profile that you do.

 

Remember, there are more locals here than holiday-makers and some of us want to avoid city life - we have quite a nice place for that; it is called Norwich. A nice village riverside pub will do - in fact I would be happy if the Falgate makes it back on the map.

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I must admit, I'm kinda with Robin on this one.. We only go to potter for lathams and don't stop overnight and don't eat here.. I agree it does need more, if I remember rightly it used to have a little independent shopping bit but that's long gone.. I don't think lathams should go though as it's a good reason to stop (If not the only reason), tidied up; yup I agree.. I think there does need to be a decent pub and restaurant which will give people reason to stop overnight... and perhaps a cute little market like Wroxham Barns etc.. I don't think it's the best spot for a chain though as it's really a rural little spot but it certainly does need more... ideally keeping in character as grace said of the shacks.. but a chain I guess is better than nothing... let's hope it can turn around.. I think the addition of the tea rooms is showing it's trying to turn around.. 

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Before we started boating we used to holiday in the bungalows along the river banks at Potter Heigham for the October half term. This was a pure fishing holiday, my sisters were old enough to stay home but I was not, so was dragged along. I walked miles around the Upper Thurne System, there was little else to do. In those days you could be gone all day but as long as you were home for tea nobody really worried.

 

Potter was a wonderful place then. Ken Latham owned Lathams and stocked excellent tackle and bait, if fishing was your thing. The rest of the shop offered good quality merchandise as well as the most fabulous sweet counter you ever saw. It was always a conundrum how to divide my daily pocket money between the pinball machines in the arcade, my favourites as a kid, and the sweet shop at Lathams. The Bridge Store was best for Ice Cream and pop.

 

You could sit by the bridge and watch the pilots, usually two or three taking boats back and forth. The riverside was always bustling, always something going on to maintain your interest.

 

Sadly the years have not been kind to that small part of Potter which sits by the river. Lets be honest, "Lathams" is a dump. It's not even cheap any more. A lot of water has flowed under the Old Bridge since a bargain was found in that miserable place. The building is, I believe listed which makes any attempt at renovation much more difficult, and most probably more expensive too. It does need something doing to it but what is a point for debate. Demolition of the store is the best hope but that would need all kind of consents. An out of town store might do well, a courtyard type craft centre perhaps with a mix of arty type craft shops and local interest shops like a garden centre (lathams garden centre is quite popular with locals), a chandlery perhaps.

 

Lathams tackle shop has plummed depths unkown to most anglers. I have been in once since it moved. Cheap, uninspiring rubbish. Little if any quality tackle for the real fisherman (or do fisherman all use cheap junk nowdays?).

 

The Broadshaven is a tragedy of Shakesperean proportion. I have great sympathy for those who have taken the place on in recent years and tried hard, damn hard to update it. The sad thing is you can change decor but never the character that comes from the very fabric of the place. I often wonder is the correct building was torched? If only that "stray match" had blown over the bridge it might have done us all a favour. Nothing short of total deomlition will make any notable improvement. What to replace it with? I would like to see a hotel, broadland is desperately short of riverfront hotel accommodation. A couple of dozen rooms over a couple of floors above a decent bar, lunge/dining room offering food for residents and non residents. A good quality grocer in the bridge stores building. Do gastronomy on the thurne a hge favour and bulldoze the chip shop and make a car park on that side of the bridge. Close the bridge to traffic and pedestrianise the area from HW car park entrance, over the bridge to the car park. perhaps a wooden chalet style ice cream stall on the riverside above the bridge.

 

Oh, new public toilets!

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I thought it worthwhile posting this image of th Broadshaven from streetview, this is 2012. Look at the building and you will see it is well kept, in good order. The lawn is smart and tables laid out nicely. There is nothing wrong as such. I would hate people reading this to think that the building was unkempt or run down (it might have been once, but has been renovated very well).

 

The problem is that shacks, bijou sheds, nissen huts or whatever you want to call them are just not attractive.

 

 

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The problem is that whatever you do local trade is probably not going use it. Most of the houses are the other side of the by-pass. There are some nice places to eat close-ish to Potter but they are not riverside. Locals did use the Falgate as it provided (still does) good value meals, a decent pint and accommodation for those that required it (usually fisherfolk). The Falgate is not that far from the river either.

 

I do not reckon Potter is a good place for a hotel for wherever you site it it will be contaminated by the Latham complex, including car park (is the Latham building monstrosity really listed?). Places like Coltishall and Wroxham are far better suited to that kind of thing. Potter Heigham is a village that has a big boatyard and a quaint bridge. That is probably all it ever was except there was a time where some folk would add Latham's to the list of attractions and we must not forget the long gone railway station.

Also, I thought the Broads was about open spaces, nature and tranquility. Or does progress mean it can only survive as a theme park...bring on the big wheel, Macdonalds and a few bucket and spade shops. That way the boats can all thrash along the river so they can get to Potter in time to get a mooring!!

 

On second thoughts perhaps we should leave well alone :-)

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I agree there has to be a balance between catering for boaters and the need of local people.As a boater I want moorings and somewhere good to eat,moorings can be hit and miss,our last time we managed to moor,last summer we did not.Yes you can go to the Falgate ,we have a couple of times,but I bet many holiday makers don't know where it is.I do think with some clever planning the needs of locals and holiday makers can be accommodated.

 

Ian

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the Falgat I e ,we have a couple of times,but I bet many holiday makers don't know where it is.I do think with some clever planning the needs of locals and holiday makers can be accommodated.

 

Ian

The planning is easy - a sign pointing the way. I believe there was one once :smile: There are also maps, guide books and Google.

 

Mooring is a completely different issue. There is only so much available land and we do not want it all lined with boats, sorry. The fact does rather remain that there are too many boats up north and not enough moorings. Some of the boats need to move down south for I am certain the BA are not going to bring any sort of balance. They can't really - there are 13000 boats registered on the Broads (probably more now) - that is 100 per mile. But that is another issue.

 

There is a feeling with some, not all by any means, that the Broads infrastructure should be able to cater for whatever is thrown at it. That is unreasonable and impossible. I blame the boating holiday profile for this (and those who encourage it) but the fact remains there is only 130 miles of navigable water and that includes the other side of Potter and Wroxham bridges. It follows that at peak times the infrastructure cannot cope and that will get worse year on year.

 

I do sympathise with the holiday boaters for they pay a lot to get on the rivers of Broadland. It is I think time for some rational thinking. Yes we do need to accommodate both local people and holiday maker interests but not all holiday makers are boaters and the holiday season is only a part of the year.

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Thankfully, Soundings, they don't all go out on the rivers at the same time, indeed some don't ever appear appear to go anywhere! Heaven forbid that they ever do.

 

There are folk who only go in a pub if it's crowded, there are others who only go into an uncrowded one, I really don't know the answer to that one. Opening up Hoveton Great Broad would help for one thing! 

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Thankfully, Soundings, they don't all go out on the rivers at the same time, indeed some don't ever appear appear to go anywhere! Heaven forbid that they ever do.

 

There are folk who only go in a pub if it's crowded, there are others who only go into an uncrowded one, I really don't know the answer to that one. Opening up Hoveton Great Broad would help for one thing! 

Quite right JM but as numbers increase the proportion that do go out grows and even 50 boats a mile is significant. Mooring north is a big problem now in busy times. I understand it is better south but have no long term experience.

 

As for the pubs - they all need one thing, all year round custom. That does not happen these days, not universally anyway. That will always hit the PubCo model hard. Potter once had four pubs I believe - how things change! Hopefully the Falgate will re-emerge as a free house. Fingers crossed on that one for nobody really knows yet if it will emerge at all.

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The Falgate is destined for closure. Up for sale as a Freehold, there is a planned covenant that will prevent it from selling liquor in the future. Punch wants shot of it and doesn't want competition.

That sort of thing should not be allowed. Why should Punch be allowed to strangle communities. That said, Potter won't help itself or try to. It will just accept it. 

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Reviewing the sales particulars,. I can now say that it is being marketed as a public house with no mention of it "being suitable for a number of uses STP" and certainly no mention of any other restriction being placed on the sale.

 

Dave

 

p.s. sorry Soundings it was Andy @ freedom who mentioned this.

Thanks for that, Dave. Time will tell. Does it still say "sold subject to contract"? The last time I looked that was its status.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Peter. No it wasn't open yesterday and there were no

signs of anything being,or had been, done.

We were hoping to try the food but resorted to cooking

on the boat. 

Agree, if not open now, they will miss the holiday hoards

so not enough to keep it running through the winter.

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