Opinion : Which is the best community asset : Pub or Shop?

After a punishing week at work yours truly was looking forward to the weekend.

However this Friday rather than going straight home your humble servant had agreed to visit a friend in Downley to offer advice on the plants growing in their greenhouse.

Waiting at the traffic lights at the bottom of Plomer Hill I suddenly remembered that I had forgot to purchase some food items that my good self would be needing for the weekend.

The lights went green and soon my trusty motor was stretching its legs doing a hill climb up the hill to Downley. Ah, nothing beats the sound of a historic engine hitting the rev limit up a steep incline, what a nice way to start the weekend.

Trundling along toward my friends house I was thinking of the prospect of returning to the town centre for the forgotten food items but then I passed the site of the former Downley Downey pub which is now a ‘local’ outlet of a major supermarket.

I found myself turning into the car park and getting out to visit the ‘local supermarket’ in search of the items yours truly needed for the weekend.

Entering the retail premises it was surprising how much produce there is for sale in such a small space. I picked my items from the shelves and took them to the helpful young lady at the checkout. Soon my good self was on my way, the items safely in my car and no need to return to the town centre.

Well, that shop was very handy. Having never visited before one was most impressed. Quick, easy and no fuss with free parking too!

There were so many other custimers in the shop and others walking in all the time, this is a very busy shop indeed.

I remember all the uproar there was when the Downley Donkey pub closed. Some were unhappy about the conversion of the premises to a supermarket however it begs the question ‘Which is the best community asset, the pub or shop?’.

In my opinion the shop is far better than a pub any day.

Who wants a pub with drunken yobbos turning out every evening causing mayhem in the locality? Think of all the drunk drivers who left late at night when closing time arrived….

If the Downley Donkey pub was still open I would never have visited but as a shop the building is useful to everyone who passes by including my good self.

What do you think?

*My next blog will be published on Tuesday evening around 8pm here on the WycombeToday.com website.