These are the questions and answers from the community update meeting on the White Lion on 24 May 2023

Questions and Comments from Attendees:

• How many parking spaces will there be? And will other residents/villagers have access to the car park?; 'It looks good, though, thank you'

Answer - 23 at the moment for visitors / guests and all businesses in the hub .

• As the back of the building is south facing, will solar panels be installed?

Answer - yes these are being investigated presently

• Will the project be complying with changing Building Regulations?

Answer - yes we will of course comply with regulations that are current at the point of application . As the building is listed there are a lot of conversations to be had with building control to bring it up to current regulations .

• As the Coventry Road is a very busy road, how easy will it be for potential customers to stop and park? Worried about capturing that passing trade

Answer - yes passing trade is very important for this project , easy to get in and out of car park . Idea of lay-by pull in was suggested , will be investigated

• Memories of the 1960s when traffic and parking at the White Lion was a major issue, intensified by the fact that the pub was one of the first in the midlands to serve food; the resident also remembered the 20thcentury section at the back of the pub being built in the 1980s

Answer - useful information here, lay-by maybe the answer we will look into it .

• '[parking] was the first thing that stuck out to us about the plan'; the resident hadn't had any issues in the 23 years that they had been there, but they were worried that a reduction in car parking spaces would cause issues

Answer - not sure there will be less parking than there was , but again the lay-by pull in may help .

• Residents shared experience that the back garden was a known sun trap, but the front wasn't

Answer - in the late afternoon evening the sun does come round to the front

• There's another piece of land further down the road that's not currently being used, so could that be bought / borrowed to provide additional parking?

Answer - This land is not owned by the Parish Council , but they have contacted the owners re what is happening with it , no news as yet .

• Will there be anything (in the garden) for children? Thinking about families feeling welcome.

Answer - in the plan we haven't added children's play equipment because we already have a play park in the village , but it is certainly something we can/will consider if demand is there. Have to see how far the budget stretches , may be something to fundraise for as a separate project .

• 'Dog friendly would be nice as well!'

Answer - yes definitely in our thoughts for project

• The pub needs to be attractive from the front, so could the garden be raised, to be more appealing from the road? Resident shared that there did used to be a small raised patio at the front, and people did sit and use it, so maybe there's a compromise to be found between parking and garden, by halving the size of the garden?

Answer - yes good idea , we can look at how to push the garden back and put a lay-by / pull in at front . Perhaps tier the garden .

• The accommodation seems to be the key to the pub being a sustainable business, so how many bedrooms will there be?; 'The shop seems to be in a good location'; What's happening to the top floor of the shop building?

Answer - 6 en-suite bedrooms on 1st floor and a suite in 2nd floor. Above the shop could be either more accommodation or an office space for enterprise units , depending what comes out of the business plan and what the demand is .

At the end of the event: Resident stood up and thanked Tina and the rest of the PWLWG for all their hard work, and the attendees gave the PWLWG a round of applause!

Calls to Action:

• Volunteer: help out with things like setting up or clearing up events, digging trial holes, or even as quiz master!

• Share memories: we want to hear stories and see old photos, to create a display later on in the project

• Help fundraising by attending events: come to events like the pub quiz, garden party, afternoon tea, or fete

• Express interest in being involved when the pub opens: do you want to rent the enterprise units, use the co-working space, work in the pub or shop? Let us know.