Agenda item

The Planning Officer gave an update to committee following a comment received from the applicant.  The officer clarified that the report did not reflect that the property was up for sale and had been since June 2021, and was still for sale.

The applicant informed the committee that it had been six months since he was last at committee with the application and since then the pub had been up for sale with no interest at all. Then the Haxey group a week before the committee date put in an offer £400k below the asking price which was totally unacceptable, and they had had four years to raise the funds. He stated he had continually lost money on the pub over the last 10 years and the accounts had been presented to back this up. The pub was now in bad repair and was only going to get worse, and would be better for the community if it was a detached house.

Cllr Rose spoke as the local Ward member against the application. He stated the pub had a long standing history within the community and would be a great loss.  He felt the property was significantly over valued, and there was no adequate evidence that it was not a viable business.

A letter was received and read out to the committee against the application from Andrew Percy the local MP.

Cllr J Davison stated it was a difficult decision, however, there was strong opposition from the community at the loss of the amenity.  He did not feel there was enough evidence provide to highlight that it could not be a viable prospect in future. He could not support approval as he said it was against a number of planning policies.

Cllr Grant believed it was the applicants right to be able to sell the property. He stated that the applicant had been to committee with the application five times, and it was apparent the pub was not going to open again so would be better for the street scene if it was a dwelling.

Cllr L Foster felt the applicant had made obvious attempts to make it viable but it just was not happening, he believed he had tried everything over the last 10 years and unfortunately the use of Public Houses in communities had changed.

Cllr Southern sympathised with the applicant as he had tried everything and put it up for sale six months ago, he felt he should be allowed the permission requested.

It was moved by Cllr J Davison and seconded by Cllr Hannigan:

That planning permission be refused for the following reason:

1.

The proposal will result in the loss of a valued facility/service within the rural settlement of Haxey. The council does not consider that it has been adequately evidenced that the facility is not economically viable and that all options for its continuance have been fully explored, and that there is no longer a need for the building in any form of community use. Accordingly, the proposal is contrary to paragraph 92 of the National Planning Policy Framework, policy CS22 of the Core Strategy and policy C2 of the North Lincolnshire Local Plan.

Motion Carried.