A NATIONWIDE pub chain could be coming to Tavistock — creating around 30 jobs and an investment of up to £1-million pounds in the town.

The 18-month search for a site in Tavistock by J D Wetherspoon looks to be nearing an end, with the firm in final negotiations to secure the site at the Crown Leisure Centre on Russell Street.

The deal means the loss of the town's sole nightclub, and will leave young clubbers facing journeys to Plymouth or Okehampton.

Bob Jones, partner in W P Jones and Son who run the Crown Centre, said they had first been approached by Wetherspoons last year but they had refused a substantial offer.

He said: 'The premises has never been on the market, but Wetherspoons were desperate to get into Tavistock, and in the end they made an offer which we could not refuse.'

Mr Jones said over the last decade the facility had been developed for the younger people of Tavistock, but he hoped there might be a chance to find another site, so clubbers didn't have to travel as far as Plymouth, Okehampton or Launceston to enjoy the nightlife.

'We are looking for an alternative premises in Tavistock, but it would have to be away from a residential area,' he said.

Mr Jones said some members of staff at the Crown Centre had been offered employment at other businesses within the group in Plymouth.

He said he wanted to thank all the people of Tavistock who had supported the Crown Centre over the last ten years, and he wished Wetherspoon luck, saying they were a 'superb operation'.

Mr Jones said a deal was '99 per cent certain', and once it went through, Wetherspoons would probably move quickly to have the premises up and running.

The pub giant would still have to apply for planning permission and licensing before it could open its doors in the town.

Eddie Gershon, spokesmen for Wetherspoon, said: 'We are in negotiations. We have been looking to find a good site in the town for a while now.'

Mr Gershon said that on average, a new Wetherspoon pub chain creates around 30 full-time and part-time jobs and involved an investment of up to £1-million in the local area to redevelop the sites.

'Tavistock is a place we want to be and we would love to open there, but we are still at an early stage,' he said.

Mr Gershon said the chain had been successful in the region, already owned several pubs in Plymouth, and was looking forward to the opportunity to come to Tavistock.

He said Wetherspoon had been looking for a site with a large ground floor area, which would be an attractive venue for people in the town.

Wetherspoon concentrates on back-to-basics pubs, and a high proportion of its turnover comes from food.

Among other sites to which Wetherspoon had been linked were the old magistrates' court building and Tavistock Town Council's Drake Road offices.

The Crown Centre opened in Tavistock in 1988.

Last year, the owners successfully won a drawn-out battle to extend the club's licensing hours on Thursday and Saturday nights.

At the time, some nearby residents complained about problems of noise and anti-social behaviour from club-goers.