Whittlesey restaurateur John McGinn who suddenly closed the Dog in a Doublet last month, is to take over the Elephant and Castle at Woodwalton near Huntingdon.
Mr McGinn is on holiday in Vietnam and southeast Asia at the moment, but work has already begun in his absence on updating the pub.
2nd John McGinn clip whose last pub at #whittlesey closed suddenly but now to embark on new challenge near #Huntingdon pic.twitter.com/tYSDsUJq1c
— John Elworthy (@johnelworthy) February 24, 2023
First change has been the name – he plans to call it the Dog and Castle and created a new Facebook page to reflect the change.
His new pub is owned by Wisbech town councillor and local pub entrepreneur Sidney Imafidon, whose other pubs include the Dukes Head in Wisbech.
Cllr Imafidon posted to social media: “A new lease of life awaits my beloved Elephant and Castle. I’m very excited and looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”
First of 2 clips from John McGinn about to take on new pub near #Huntingdon pic.twitter.com/GbPv4pTfM0
— John Elworthy (@johnelworthy) February 24, 2023
Mr McGinn said a recent planning dispute with Peterborough City Council over improvements made to the Dog in a Doublet did not influence his decision to close.
But clearly, with the threat of possible enforcement action and outstanding issues over a damaged cesspit and the cost of repairing it, there were problems ahead for Mr McGinn if he remained.
Peterborough City Council had sent Mr McGinn notification that his retrospective application for large scale improvements had been rejected.
The council said Mr McGinn had failed to satisfy planning laws.
The full application included permission for ancillary accommodation, a guest log cabin, a converted horsebox to guest room and a residential chalet.
It also included a swimming pool with raised deck, gym, outdoor kitchen, and external decked/raised seating area to the east -all of it retrospective.
The freehold owners of the Dog in a Doublet are engaged in legal talks to resolve outstanding issues.
