7:00am Tuesday 27th May 2008
By James Morton
A PUBLIC rally has been arranged as Upton residents fight for a say in what happens to the landmark Greenridge site.
Organisers of the meeting are angry at a lack of feedback from Hall and Woodhouse, who closed the pub last month, over the future of the pivotal location.
Agents Goadsby have now put the site on the market, with the Blandford-based brewery announcing plans to develop a care unit, with commercial space below.
Simon Thomson, chairman of the Lytchett Minster and Upton Community Association, said it was time for "community involvement, not community alienation".
He said: "The feelings for the Greenridge in Upton are running very strong and I feel they (Hall and Woodhouse) really should not ignore the voice of a large number of people.
"Ask the community what they want and they will help achieve it; ignore them and suffer falling into the trap of lowered public support.
"This is our town and we will not stand by and watch it be built over."
The closure of the Greenridge left Upton, Purbeck's second largest town with a population of 6,500, without a pub.
In an email to Mr Thomson, Anthony Bird, senior planning officer at Purbeck District Council, said they had urged Hall and Woodhouse to "integrate local community aspirations into proposals".
Mid-Dorset and North Poole MP Annette Brooke has added her voice to the campaign, agreeing Upton residents should feel the benefit of any development.
The public meeting will be held at Upton Community Centre on Friday, May 30 at 8pm.
Hall and Woodhouse did not respond to the Daily Echo's queries about the sale of the land but previously said care home places would be "an important boost" for Upton and the area.
It said the Greenridge was closed due to the effects of the smoking ban and a lack of local support.
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