Villagers oppose plans to turn sole pub into house

Plans to turn a village's only pub into a home have been opposed by residents and councillors.

The Castle Inn in Little Birch, near Hereford, closed six years ago, with proposals to turn the pub into a five-bedroom house recently submitted by owner Dee Langford.

But following an extraordinary meeting, Little Birch Parish Council said it opposed the scheme as the inn "has historically served as the village public house and remains a public house in planning terms".

Consultation on the planning application remains open until 15 July, with a decision from Herefordshire Council due by 27 July.

Sandra Cameron, a resident for more than 40 years and regular customer of the pub, said its permanent loss would "remove any future possibility of restoring a vital social hub to the village" which had "very few community facilities".

The former venue, which let five guest rooms upstairs, has been closed since 2020 and there had since been failed attempts by the parish council to register it as an asset of community value.

Parish councillors said Langford's bid to convert the building "fails to provide sufficient information to justify [its] loss".

There was no viability assessment, marketing report or other supporting evidence demonstrating why it should be "permanently lost", a statement said.

Prospective buyers have also proposed community activity space, hospitality and other uses, showing interest remained in "uses that would retain a degree of public and community value".

In her application, Langford said nothing on the site would be knocked down or built, she just wanted to change the use of the building.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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