Plans have been approved for new signage at The Cherry Tree pub in Culcheth, with Warrington Borough Council giving the nod to an external spruce-up at the Common Lane venue.
The application, submitted by Sizzling Pubs, sought advertisement consent for a replacement and installation of a new illuminated totem sign, plus seven new fascia signs around the outside of the pub. In plain English, the place is getting a bit of a visual polish, not being turned into the Blackpool Illuminations, one hopes.
According to the original report by Nathan Okell in the Warrington Guardian, the pub describes itself as a traditional pub with “a bit of added sizzle” and says it offers the “warmest of welcomes”. Fair play to them, because a village pub that looks cared for is better than one slowly fading into beige sadness beside the road.
On its website, Sizzling Pubs says the people of Warrington deserve more from their local pub, promising traditional pub comfort, fresh ingredients, vegan and vegetarian options, sizzling skillets, flame-grilled burgers and daily offers. It also says The Cherry Tree helps fundraise for charities and offers its function area free of charge to local groups, which is genuinely the sort of thing that earns goodwill in a village.
That said, illuminated signage is always a delicate business in Culcheth. Done well, it says “welcoming local pub”. Done badly, it says “motorway services with onion rings”. The planners clearly felt this proposal landed on the acceptable side, so let’s hope the finished look has charm, not glare.
The article also came wrapped in the usual publishing furniture, including mentions of USA Today, The Herald and the Public Notice Portal, which is about as cosy as reading a planning notice through a corporate fog machine. Still, underneath all that, the local point is simple enough, The Cherry Tree has permission for new signs, and Culcheth gets another small reminder that even village pubs need the occasional facelift.