Telford pub to become a convenience store despite objections

Punch Partnership, the owners of the Elephant & Castle on St George's Street, St Georges, have successfully appealed against Telford & Wrekin Council's refusal to grant planning permission for the change.

The decision has been taken by the Planning Inspectorate.

Local parish councillor Thomas Hoof said the decision "makes a mockery" of local democracy, and expressed concerns about the impact on local shops, and the loss of a pub.

He said: "I am bitterly disappointed. It is shameful and makes a mockery of the planning process that local people do not get to decide what goes on their doorstep and it can be overruled by a government department outside your town.

"I feel sorry for the owners of the local shops and the pub that will also be going."

Planning inspector, Siobhan Watson, said that concerns raised by Telford & Wrekin Council over the loss of pub facilities in the area were not valid.

She said people could use other nearby pubs if the Elephant & Castle were not available.

In her ruling she said: "The appellant has drawn my attention to The Bell and Bails and the Cottage Spring which are on Church Street and The Turf Inn and the Albion Inn on West Street. These are all within walking distance of the site."

She also ruled that by creating a convenience store there would be no loss of community facilities.

She said: "Furthermore, although the pub use would be lost, the proposal would provide a convenience store. Therefore, I consider that there would be no overall loss of day to day services as a result of the proposal and this is another consideration which weighs in favour of the proposal."

The planning inspector also rejected claims that the changes to the building would have a detrimental impact on its appearance.

Alterations

Ms Watson said: "I agree that the building is an attractive feature in the street-scene and that it has a traditional frontage.

"The proposal would entail some minor alterations to the main façade, which, in my opinion, is the only elevation with any architectural interest.

"The front porch would be removed but I understand that this is a later addition to the building. New automatic sliding entrance doors would be installed which would have a minor effect upon the appearance of the building. In addition, the building would be extended to the side at ground floor level but as it would replace an existing wall and a timber smoking shelter, I consider that the side extension would actually improve the appearance of the front of the building."

Concerns over the safety of children attending school will lead to restrictions on delivery times at the store.

Ms Watson said: "Whilst the shop might result in additional traffic I have no technical evidence to suggest that the highway network would not cope with it or that safety would be compromised by parked cars, especially as there would be a car park provided.

"That said, I have had regard to comments in respect of traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times at the nearby St George’s Primary and for that reason I agree with the Council’s Highway Engineer that delivery times should be restricted to avoid these times."

In the original application, submitted in 2017, Punch said that diminishing custom was behind the decision to apply for change of use.

A statement submitted with the application said: "The need for this development has arisen from the steady decline in trade experienced by the existing public house business, and the inability for it to be viably adapted to meet modern requirements."