The pubs Shropshire lost in 2021 and what they say about the decline of an industry

It is a familiar sight in Shropshire’s towns and villages – a once thriving local now boarded up, blighted by vandalism and, inevitably, with plans to be re-purposed for housing.

Permission was granted last week by Shropshire Council for the building to be converted. It is the fifth pub in the county to succumb to this fate in 2021, while several others face demolition or conversion for another purpose.

The decline of the British pub trade was well documented even before the pandemic, with Shropshire losing roughly one in ten of its pubs in the decade to 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics. In Telford and Wrekin, that figure is one in four.

And now Covid. In February this year, just one per cent of landlords across the UK said they had “high confidence” that their businesses would survive the next three months, though this figure had risen to 24 per cent by May.

The impact of repeated lockdowns and ongoing restrictions is still being felt, with the Omicron variant threatening another huge blow to the sector as it tries to get back on its feet, at what should be its busiest time of the year.

Just last week, trade body Hospitality UK predicted measures to limit the spread of Omicron would see takings down by 40 per cent over the festive period.

While the future remains uncertain, planning applications continue to trickle in for pubs across Shropshire which have fallen victim to the combination of declining numbers of punters, rising business rates and running costs, and the burden of maintaining historic and often listed buildings.

These are the former pubs Shropshire lost for good in 2021:

The Black Gate, Oswestry

Not all pub sites are snapped up by housing developers – for example the Black Gate in Oswestry, which has been given a new lease of life as Niche Patisserie.

The venture is the brainchild of pastry chef Adam Cleal, who made it to the semi-finals of Bake Off the Professionals in 2019.

Planning permission and listed building consent for the conversion were granted back in February and the business has now been up and running for several months.

The 16th Century pub sits on Salop Road and was more recently known as the Bull Ring.

The Beehive, Shifnal

While most of the pubs on this list are being converted, the Beehive was demolished over the summer after the site became a hotspot for vandalism, littering and anti-social behaviour.

Shropshire Council’s southern planning committee approved the plans for the site to be cleared to make way for nine affordable homes at a meeting in March.

The town council had objected, saying it did not like the layout, but Scott Drummond, representing the developer TC Homes, told the planning committee the scheme would help to address a “very high demand for affordable houses” in the town.

He said it would also address health and safety concerns over the site, with the pub falling into disrepair following its closure in 2017.

The Bell Inn, Cleobury Mortimer

Attempts have been made to sell the Bell Inn in Cleobury since 2018, but after no interest was received plans were lodged to have the building converted into a two-bed house and two flats.

Permission was granted by Shropshire Council in April. Planning officers said the loss of the pub would not be detrimental to the town, which has six other pubs including the Old Lion directly opposite.

The building dates back to 1721, and is Grade II listed as well as sitting within the town’s conservation area.

Officers said allowing the conversion would prevent the building from falling into disrepair.

Four Crosses, Bicton

Work began last month to transform this village pub just outside Shrewsbury into a 100-place children’s nursery.

The pub shut its doors at the onset of the pandemic and was bought by Rachel Moelwyn-Williams, who intends to run the setting as a franchise of Canopy Children’s Nurseries.

Granting permission for the change of use in September, planning officers said: “It has been demonstrated that the existing use of the premises is not viable and it is considered that the proposed change of use would not result in the loss of a valuable community amenity and will provide an alternative valuable service and facility.”

The nursery is expected to open next spring and will create 25 jobs.

The Red Castle, Harmer Hill

The late 19th Century pub closed in 2018, and to demolish it and build four homes on the site were lodged the same year.

Shropshire Council refused the application, saying the building was a ‘non-designated heritage asset’ and should be retained – a view that was backed by the Planning Inspectorate on appeal.

Revised plans went in for the pub to be extended and converted into a terrace of four houses, but those were withdrawn and a final scheme emerged earlier this year for the conversion of the building into three homes.

Planning permission was granted in September.

Hare & Hounds, Cruckton

After being gutted by a fire in 2011, the Hare & Hounds was left to decay and was described as an “eyesore” by Pontesbury Parish Council.

Plans were approved in October for the pub to be extended and reconfigured into four new houses.

It is a move away from earlier proposals, submitted in 2014, for the construction of six houses to finance the restoration of the pub and allow it to reopen.

That application was withdrawn in 2015 and the new owners of the site, Shrewsbury-based HiRu Renovations Limited, now say it would no longer be viable to return the building to its former use.

Shropshire Council’s heritage team described the pub, which dates back to the late 18th Century, as “historic” and of “high heritage value”.

The Greyhound, Oswestry

Proposals to turn the once-popular Greyhound pub in Oswestry’s Willow Street into four houses were given the green light at the start of December.

The decision to scale back the plans was made after earlier proposals for five homes were approved last March.

The pub was built around 1900 and was previously registered as an asset of community value, but had been closed for several years by the time it was sold to developers.

A report by planning officers said: “The reduction in the overall number of residential units from five to four is a welcome amendment whereby it is considered the scheme would ultimately reduce the extent of visual external changes to the building as well as the structural internal works.”

The Eagles Inn, Cressage

A four-year planning battle over the Eagles looks to have finally come to an end. Permission was last week granted for the pub to be converted into two homes – a revised application after initial approval for it to be turned into a single house was given the green light last year.

The pub closed its doors in 2015, and two years later the site owners sought permission to turn it into two houses and build eight more around it. That was refused, and in 2018 so was a scaled-down plan to convert the pub and build four more homes.

A year later another application was lodged – this time for the demolition of the Eagles and the clearance of the site. Such was the opposition to this proposal that a successful application was made to Historic England, and the pub was Grade II listed in March 2020.

Granting permission last week for the conversion, Shropshire Council planning officers said the scheme would allow for “the enhancement of the historic landmark building and its immediate environs in the central part of Cressage”.

The Cheshire Cheese, Dawley

Plans are currently with Telford and Wrekin Council for the demolition of the derelict Cheshire Cheese in Doseley Road, and for 10 houses to be built in its place.

The pub closed in January 2019 and plans for the site to be cleared for housing were rejected in the November.

However after the building was targeted by arsonists twice last year it has been deemed structurally unsafe and in need of demolition. Police have reported it continues to be a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.

The developer says the new plans have addressed the 10 reasons the council gave for refusing the previous scheme, which included the impact on the nearby Doseley Railway Bridge which is a Grade II listed building.

The council is yet to issue a decision on the revised plans.

Horseshoes Inn, Pontesbury

Another pub awaiting a planning decision is the Horseshoes Inn, in Pontesbury, which also looks set to be demolished to make way for four new houses.

The pub has been on the market since August 2018 but no offers have been received, leading to plans being lodged earlier this year for the building to be bulldozed.

A heritage impact assessment prepared on behalf of the owner says the building holds no architectural significance and sits in a residential area, making it ideal for housing.

It adds that the demise of the Horseshoes may well bolster other pubs in the village. Shropshire Council is expected to make a decision on the application in the coming months.