Charity among more than 100 objectors to village pub development plans near Oswestry
A charity aimed at protecting the UK's countryside has joined more than 100 objectors opposed to a pub's plans to build five homes at the rear of its rural Shropshire inn.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England are among 115 objections submitted to Shropshire Council over the proposal to build the houses on land to the rear of the The Punch Bowl Inn in the village of West Felton near Oswestry.
Developers Trust Inns, which owns the pub, said in their planning statement that they plan to build a terrace of four three-bedroom houses and a one-one bedroom flat above a triple garage on land to the rear of the village pub.
They say while the Punch Bowl Inn itself is in a conservation area, their plans for the land fall outside the protected site.
But villagers are unhappy at the proposals with many complaining that the land had been used as a “community car park” for 30 years.
West Felton Parish Council has described the plans as “speculative” and say the proposals “would have a severe negative impact on the Punch Bowl Public House and the Village Hall”.
The council added that the development would “be detrimental to the sustainability of the village resulting in considerable harm to a community hub which also serves several outlying hamlets”.
Also objecting is the Campaign for Rural England (CPFRE).
In a statement, the Heritage Adviser for CPRE said: “The Punch Bowl itself is an important major feature in the village, is far from modest and is the last surviving Coaching Inn that so clearly demonstrates this historic use.
“The cottages opposite may well have housed service workers for the livery and other service aspects associated with the coaching trade.”
They added that the developer's proposals do “not reflect the importance of the site to the conservation area and its conclusion that the effect will be neutral is seriously flawed".
The planning application is set to go before Shropshire Council planners later this year.