Shropshire village pub 'will not' be demolished, insists landlady
A landlady insists she is not planning to demolish a pub which she says "means everything" to her.
The Horseshoe Inn, in Minsterley Road, Pontesbury, is subject of an application for "outline permission" to include means of access for the demolition and for four houses to be built.
But owner Teresa Challenor has said that she was advised to apply for planning permission as an insurance policy.
"I want it to be absolutely clear that I have not applied for planning permission because I want to demolish the pub," she said. "That's the furthest thing from my mind. I'm happy here and I love being here."
She bought the pub with husband, but he was diagnosed with cancer three months after they moved in. He died last year.
Teresa paid tribute to the support she has had from the community during her ownership.
"This pub is everything to me," she said. "The people who live in this village have been immensely supportive. Our team got right behind me. The last thing I want to do is take away something they helped me build. I want the pub to stay."
A planning statement on the application says: "The applicant has owned The Horseshoe Inn, Pontesbury, since 2016.
"However, since the passing of her husband, she has been seeking to dispose of the property. The Horseshoe Inn has therefore been subject of an extensive marketing exercise since August 2018.
"However, despite a significant reduction in the asking price of the property in February 2020, only four viewings have taken place and no offers have been received.
"The lack of interest in The Horsehoe Inn is symptomatic of the general decline in the UK pub trade which, according to a 2018 Office for National Statistics, has seen almost a quarter of all pubs close between 2008 and 2018.
"In addition, it is anticipated that the current pandemic is likely to exacerbate problems for the pub trade, with a recent Shropshire Star predicting a ‘wave of pub closures’ in Shropshire as a direct result of the pandemic."
To view the application and comment, visit the Shropshire Council planning portal, using reference 21/01844/OUT.
