Green light for holiday lodges next to 16th-century pub near Bridgnorth

Plans for new holiday lodges next to a south Shropshire pub have been approved.

The six lodges, containing two or three bedrooms, along with 23 parking spaces will be built on vacant land north of the Halfway House Inn, in the village of Eardington south of Bridgnorth.

The project, which has been approved by planning chiefs at Shropshire Council, will neighbour a camping park and pitches for 28 touring caravans which have been available next to the 16th-century pub for more than 50 years.

Planning docs said the Williams family, who have owned the site in Cleobury Road since 1997, had identified a need for additional lodge accommodation and a small paddock to the north of the pub provided "an ideal location" for such a facility.

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The land has previously been used for wild camping under permitted development rights.

The need for the holiday lodges had arisen as a result of more enquiries for on-site tourist accommodation from guests who do not have touring units, the documents said.

"This will help to sustain the existing business and provide self-catering accommodation for the area," the documents said.

"Shropshire Council has permitted other holiday accommodation in the area and the proposed additional holiday units reinforces the area's strong visitor economy and provides variety and choice of accommodation.

"The caravan site forms an integral part of the Halfway House Inn business as the pub is a rural inn with limited local trade and relies upon the tourist customers to make the business viable.

"Over 80 per cent of the business is from caravan and accommodation customers. The proposed holiday accommodation will enable visitors to enjoy the local environment and utilise the facilities at the Halfway House Inn.

"The site is clearly capable of accommodating the small-scale tourism development and this will help to sustain the underlying rural business.

"The siting of the holiday lodges on this suitable site in the area will contribute to local tourist accommodation requirements with good demand for self-catering accommodation and will deliver an energy-efficient, quality scheme within a landscaped setting with no adverse environmental impacts."