From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Sam Williams, 19 February 2022.

Couple take over Saracens Head in Deal and become third generation in family to join pub trade.

It will be a family affair when new owners take over a Deal pub this month.

Husband and wife Matthew and Martine Brett got the keys to the Saracens Head, in Alfred Square, on Wednesday last week and will hold the grand opening this coming Friday.

Matthew and Martine Brett will take over the Saracens Head in Deal. Picture: Matthew Brett.

Mr Brett is the third generation in his family to take on a public house, as both his parents and grandparents have run pubs in Deal.

His grandparents, Bill and Iris, ran the "Three Compasses" for around 30 years, and his mum and dad, Lynda and Trevor, were in charge of "Deal Hoy" for seven years in the late 80s and early 90s.

Mum Lynda will now help pull pints at the Saracens Head, while Matthew takes charge in the kitchen and Martine in the bar.

Daughters Olivia and Georgia will also help out with waitressing.

Mr Brett said: "We're very excited to open.

"We have been making improvements to the trading area and the toilets, giving it a bit of a makeover.

"And we'll have live entertainment on our opening night."

Mr Brett, who has played in pool leagues for the town, found his love for the sport playing in his parents' and grandparents' pubs.

He said: "I remember my grandad would turn over a plastic beer crate so I could reach the pool table. In my parent's pub I would play every day."

Mr Brett and his brother would also help out, including cleaning pipes and hosting barbecues in the summers.

Matthew and Martine already run cleaning company, Brett Cleaning Services, and employ 21 members of staff and look after 70 holiday lets as well as commercial businesses.

Mr Brett, 45, joked: "As if we're not busy enough. We must be mad."

The couple will initially open with a soft launch, which will include breakfasts on Saturdays and Sundays, and pulled pork roasts for Sunday lunch.

They will then look to serving an evening menu and lunches.

They are aiming to source all their food from within a 20-mile radius.

Mr Brett said: "A lot of consumers are aware of where their food comes from these days for environmental reasons.

"We will be serving premium ingredients, all sourced locally."

Themed food nights are also planned, such as German sausage evenings, as well as music sessions, including jazz on Sundays.

The pub will open on February 25, with singer Abigail Cardwell due to perform.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Chantal Weller, 16 March 2023.

Saracens Head in Deal put up for sale by Shepherd Neame as landlord tells of struggle to make profit.

Brewery bosses have decided to sell a historic pub after the latest tenants claimed it is “impossible to make a profit”.

Husband and wife duo Matthew and Martine Brett are stepping away from the Saracens Head in Deal just 13 months after taking over.

The couple say they have done “nothing but lose money” since February last year, blaming the cost-of-living crisis and a lack of community support.

Their decision to leave later this year has led to owner Shepherd Neame putting the pub on the market for £425,000.

Mr Brett says the couple are disappointed to be handing back the keys, but believes they were left with little choice.

“I worked out what I needed to make each month, and we’re not even making half of that,” he said.

“It was an ailing pub when we took it on, and was not busy, but we invested thousands in it in the hope of trying to turn the business around to make it viable.”

The father-of-two, who also owns a cleaning business, says there are three main factors which have pushed the family to leave.

“I thought ‘how hard can it be to make £500 a week?’,” he said

“In a nutshell, very hard, because I’ve done nothing but lose money.

“When a pub is ailing it is very, very hard, from what I have experienced now, to turn it around.

“I think there are three factors why we have struggled - the increase in energy costs, location of the pub and lack of community support.

“There are some pubs that struggle and there are a small handful that it doesn’t seem to matter what society, government and costs are thrown at it, they do all right.

“A lot of small businesses are struggling at the moment. We get some local support but it is nowhere near enough to make it viable.”

Mr Brett says trade was busier in the summer months but has been non-existent this winter.

“Deal is a quiet little place, but we do really have a thriving high street, which is good,” he explained.

“But from a hospitality point of view, when that trade disappears in the winter then it does make it a little bit harder.

“If we could move our pub 500 yards up onto the seafront then I have no doubt we would be busy, or if it was 500 yards down into the high street I think it would be viable.”

Mr Brett says it will be a shame to leave the pub, which is now being sold by Shepherd Neame as a licensed premises.

“I think we have a lovely looking pub, which is all bright after we refurbished it,” he said.

“The brewery has done a viability study and found it is not viable anymore as a pub, so they are looking at selling it on.

“It will be a shame because this pub has been standing for the best part of 150 years.

Mr Brett says it is a shame the pub has had to go on the market. Picture: Matthew Brett.

“For me, the worry was if I could not make it work we’d be the last landlord and landlady to shut the door, which is a shame.

“Shepherd Neame has been very supportive in the exit and it is very much business as usual at the pub.

“We still have our pie nights, curry nights, weekend breakfasts and Sunday roasts.

“We are also still having live music and comedy nights and trading at 100% passion and energy.”

The building is thought to date back as far as 1806, when it housed a carpenter’s shop and several apartments.

Some 15 years later the premises was first referred to as the “Saracen’s Head beer house”.

The news of the pub going on the market has also sparked concerns about what will happen to a defibrillator which was installed at the site last summer.

Originally it was hoped the town council would adopt the telephone kiosk in Alfred Square from BT and the defibrillator would be housed in there, but this project failed.

Residents are asking any registered charities to convert this kiosk, and any interested parties should email lady.last@btinternet.com or call 01304 374883.

Shepherd Neame property and services director George Barnes said: “We can confirm that we have taken the decision to sell The Saracens Head, Deal, as it no longer fits our business needs.

"The pub is currently on the market, and is being sold as a licensed premises.”

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Oliver Leonard, 2 October 2023.

Plans submitted to turn former Shepherd Neame pub Saracens Head in Deal into family home.

A pub which shut after tenants claimed it was “impossible to make a profit” could now be turned into a home.

Plans have been submitted to convert the Saracens Head in Deal, which was sold by Shepherd Neame earlier this year, into a residential dwelling.

The inn closed in March when husband and wife duo Matthew and Martine Brett stepped away from the bar just 13 months after taking over.

Six months on from the closure, the new owner of the building who bought the property in June, has submitted plans to turn the former boozer dating back to the Georgian period into a four-bedroom house.

Within the documents, applicant Peter Hadley states the plans “would see the demolition of the existing single-storey toilet extension to the rear of the building”.

Furthermore, Mr Hadley confirms the conversion works would only “take a very light touch to the existing building in order to retain its heritage significance and original character”.

The decision to leave the pub from Mr and Mrs Brett led to the brewery which owned the building to put the pub on the market with an asking price of £425,000.

The couple said they had done “nothing but lose money” since February last year, blaming the cost-of-living crisis and a lack of community support.

The building is thought to date back as far as 1806, when it housed a carpenter’s shop and several apartments.

Some 15 years later the premises was first referred to as the “Saracen’s Head beer house”.

Now, if plans are approved, the existing residential accommodation on the first floor would be modified to enable three bedrooms – one with a walk-in cupboard – to be served by a family bathroom.

The smaller bedroom at the top of the building on the second floor would also feature an en-suite and walk-in wardrobe.

As well as this, the existing storage building within the rear courtyard would also be removed.

Public comments on the application lamented the loss of the former pub and said it should remain as a community asset and opposed the plans to convert it into a family home.

Thirteen people oppose the redevelopment proposals while one is in favour.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alex Jee, 19 November 2023.

Outcry over plans for Saracen’s Head pub in Deal.

A group of residents have launched a last-ditch effort to halt an historic town pub being transformed into a home.

Proposals to turn the Saracens Head in Deal into a family home have drawn a number of objections from residents – with developers insisting that the pub is unviable as a business.

The inn on Alfred Square closed in March when husband and wife duo Matthew and Martine Brett stepped away from the bar just 13 months after taking over.

Six months on from the closure, the new owner of the building – East Kent Developments – who bought the property in June submitted plans to turn the former boozer dating back to the Georgian period into a four-bedroom house.

Within the documents, applicant Peter Hadley states the plans “would see the demolition of the existing single-storey toilet extension to the rear of the building”.

Furthermore, Mr Hadley confirms the conversion works would only “take a very light touch to the existing building in order to retain its heritage significance and original character.”

He also mentions a “significant demand for three- and four-bedroom homes” in the local plan, adding: “There can be no objection to the conversion of the existing building to provide a family-sized dwelling and there is a defined need for three and four bedroom dwellings within the District.

“There can therefore be no objection in principle to the provision of a family home in this location.”

Since the plans emerged, more than 50 objections have been lodged and a community ‘Save the Saracens’ group has been established with the aim of raising enough money to purchase the building back from East Kent Developments and run it as a community pub.

In a letter formally objecting to the plans, group spokesman Ian Haigh said: “[The pub] was much loved and frequented by locals on Alfred Square, College Road, Golf Road, Sandown Road, and the surrounding area, so much so they got together and listed it as an Asset of Community Value in 2016.

“Most residents on Alfred Square were regulars, including those directly next door, and the pub had a great community feel… if this pub were lost, this part of the community will be a much poorer place for it.”

The decision to leave the pub from Mr and Mrs Brett led to the brewery which owned the building to put the pub on the market with an asking price of £425,000.

The couple said they had done “nothing but lose money” since February last year, blaming the cost-of-living crisis and a lack of community support.

The message is repeated in planning documents, which added: “It is therefore clear from this evidence that various attempts have been made to make the Public House a viable business in this location but have failed.

“The Public House is no longer on the Council’s list of Assets of Community Value with the 2016 decision now expired (with properties kept on the list for 5 years). The Public House remains vacant.”

Following on from the group comment in a letter of his own, Mr Haigh – who lives on Albert Square – added that suggestions that the business was unviable were “nonsense”.

“The Saracens is in a great location, it's a perfect size for an independent - manageable but with a decent amount of covers - and there is scope to expand the food offer. As a free house run by someone with experience, this local business would thrive,” he explained.

“We all live here because we like living here. We like the high street, the shops, the life, the community – and we like the pubs. There are pros and cons of living just off a high street, but this is what gives the area a sense of place.

“The traditional pubs have such a huge effect on the Conservation Area, precisely because they are pubs. Not because they are houses that used to be pubs. They are a key heritage asset and should be preserved in use.”

In a letter on Dover District Council’s planning portal, Deal Town Council also objected to the plans, labelling them as “premature” and calling for the community group to be allowed time to raise enough money to purchase the property.

Peter Large added that a large amount of work to strip the building of its pub heritage appeared to already have taken place.

“A considerable amount of work appears to have already been carried out on the property, including the removal of most of the external features that denote the building as a public house,” he explained.

“Therefore, is this genuinely a first-instance planning application or is it, in reality, a retrospective planning application?

“The Council should carry out an inspection of the property to determine the extent of the work already carried out and whether the application should be re-classed as a retrospective planning application.”

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Sam Lennon, 13 March 2024.

Concerns over plans to turn Saracens Head pub in Alfred Square, Deal, into house as councillors to make decision this week.

Dozens of objections have been lodged against plans to turn a historic former pub into a house.

An application to change the Saracens Head in Alfred Square, Deal, into a four-bed home comes before councillors this week.

But 44 people have written to Dover District Council (DDC) expressing their opposition, with one describing the proposals as “cultural vandalism”.

However, some neighbours say the 19th century pub – where previous owners have found it “impossible to make a profit” – has never been successful and would be better off as a house.

The bulk of those writing to DDC are concerned the change would mean the loss of a community and heritage asset in a conservation area.

They say it will mean there are only two pubs left in that part of Deal, when historically there were 35.

The Saracens Head closed last March but objectors said it should be turned back into a pub or even changed to a microbrewery as it would be needed for new and existing residents.

One neighbour, Mr S Blower, wrote on the council’s planning portal: “Stripping a heritage asset is cultural vandalism. This end of Deal has a strong community that needs this hub.”

Another resident, Graham Moore, said: ”Pubs are an important part of our cultural heritage and vital amenities so should always be protected at all costs.”

Mrs Lesley Jarman wrote: “We are losing so much trade in the town, Deal needs to remain as a social outlet and I would like to see this public house reopen as a freehold gastro pub.”

A pressure organisation called Save the Saracens Group has been set up to fight the application.

Its letter to the council said the pub had a catchment area of more than 1,000 households and until the Covid lockdowns had been busy and popular.

The group added: “Small businesses such as this give a sense of purpose and life to an area and contribute significantly to the local economy.”

Despite the pub originally thriving, its last tenants, Matthew and Martine Brett, left last March after 13 months saying it had been “impossible to make a profit”.

The premises had been owned by the brewery Shepherd Neame, which last June sold it. The applicant is East Kent Developments of Orpington and the agent is Peter Hadley of the company Robinson Escott Planning of the same area.

The council received six letters of support for the conversion, saying the pub lacked community support and because of past noise and disturbance, it was better as a home.

Neighbour Gillian Young said on the planning portal: “Deal has enough pubs to support the town, including the Prince Albert on the other corner of Alfred Square.”

Megan Davies, who also lives nearby, said: “The property is better suited to be converted to a residential status. All public houses encourage anti-social behaviour (noise, fighting, urinating in the street) and the Saracens was never a successful business even before Covid. There are plenty of pubs in Deal.”

Council officers recommend approval of the development, saying there are other pubs and bars nearby and the proposed new house would preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area.

The Saracens Head building is thought to date back as far as 1806, when it housed a carpenter’s shop and several apartments.

About 15 years later, the premises were first referred to as the “Saracen’s Head beer house”.

The application will be discussed at Dover District Council’s planning committee meeting from 6pm on Thursday at the authority’s headquarters at the White Cliffs Business Park, Whitfield.