Dismay as whole of historic Telford pub demolished to make way for store
A Telford resident has spoken of his dismay that none of a centuries-old historic pub is being preserved as it is converted into a convenience store.
The White Lion, on Holyhead Road, has been demolished and is to be replaced by a Sainsbury's Local store, expected to be opened by summer 2023.
Local resident Garry Nicholson, who volunteers for the organisation Campaign to Protect Rural England, was walking past the site when he realised the extent of the damage, and suggested to the council that the pub was not being redeveloped in accordance with the applicant's own planning and heritage statement, nor the council's planning requirements.
The first applicant was ASG (Telford) Property Ltd, which Telford & Wrekin Council said had applied for the conversion of the public house, not its demolition and re-build. The council's decision to approve the development was under the notion that it 'appears proportionate to the significance of the building' and would preserve it as a 'Building of Local Interest', saying it was 'not aware of the extensive works' that were later being carried out.
Mr Nicholson said there had been a promise to preserve as much of the building as possible.
"When I came across the proposal to redevelop the White Lion, I was quite happy based on their promise to preserve quite a lot of it, at least the facade," he said.
"I knew that construction on the site was going to go ahead in some shape or form, so I was happy that some history and character would have been kept at least.
"The idea was to preserve its appearance but convert its use to something that will benefit the community.
"But walking past, I noticed that the building was being ruined. This is not what was promised."
Development works seemed to have halted soon after the potential breach was flagged.
Since then, in September 2022, the application from Sainsbury's came in and was approved by the council at the start of December.
A letter to Telford & Wrekin Council from planning consultancy Alder King, representing Sainsbury's, suggested that The White Lion was to be 'converted and enlarged' for retail use.
It also said that in February 2022, a storm caused 'significant structural damage' to the pub, which meant any existing walls the developers planned to keep and build on had to go. However, they have assured that the replacement building will be 'sympathetically designed' to reflect the pub's original appearance, with 'cream and dark earth pilasters' as well as clay roof tiles.
The consultants' most recent letter to the council, on September 23 this year, said: "The application seeks planning permission for the demolition of existing walls and the erection of a convenience store and associated car park at the former White Lion Inn, Ketley. The proposal will provide a much needed convenience store for local residents. The loss of the remaining fabric of the original inn has been fully justified in the application submission and the replacement building has been sympathetically designed to reflect the appearance of the original inn."
Mr Nicholson said there was a chance that the building served as a coaching inn at one point, seeing as it was dated back to the 1660s. Holyhead Road joins to Watling Street, which was once an ancient road through England and Wales first used by the Celts before the Roman invasion. The Romans paved the route to make military transport easier, chasing Celtic Britons from the South. It would have been part of the route from London to Anglesey.
