Holiday flats plan at pub gets the go-ahead

Earlier this year two planning applications were submitted by MKH Portfolio Ltd, a company owned by Mike Harris the chairman of Oswestry based The New Saints FC, for the Pinewood Tavern in Welshpool.

The first application explains how the Pinewood would be converted into six holiday units, and the second is an application for listed building consent.

Parts of the Pinewood complex include two separately listed Grade II buildings.

The scheme will see the refurbishment of the ground floor Pinewood Tavern – which will remain a pub – and the conversion of redundant hotel rooms into self-contained holiday accommodation.

The manager’s accommodation in the building would also be converted into holiday accommodation.

The proposals will also see the re-formation of an original bar entrance on the corner of Broad Street and Hall Street, the replacement and refurbishment of the entrance to the upper floor accommodation, and a replacement ‘shop front’ extension to the front of number two Broad Street.

Five of the six holiday units would have one bedroom, while the biggest, which has 64.3 square metres of floor area, would have two bedrooms.

Planning officer Gwyn Humphreys said: “The proposed development is deemed to be fundamentally compliant with planning policy and acceptable.

“It is considered, in light of the comments received from the built heritage officer and CPAT (Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust) that the proposals would not cause any harmful effect upon the character, setting and appearance of the host listed building, surrounding listed buildings, nor that of the Welshpool Conservation Area.”

The only bone of contention in the report, Mr Humphreys explains, come from objections lodged against the proposal in relation to a “lack of provision for disabled persons”.

Mr Humphreys said: “Whilst it is acknowledged that the submitted plans do not seem to contain any specific provision for disabled people, it is important to note that this is not a requirement within the planning system and is instead covered by the building regulations process.”

Previous applications, the most recent from 2020, to convert the building into flats were withdrawn after the council’s built and environment heritage officers raised “significant concerns” on the modifications proposed for the building.