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Council error gives pub stay of execution
Plans to demolish The Oak in Whitwick, Leicestershire have been put on hold after it was revealed that the local council had not given the correct permission for its redevelopment.
The pub, which has stood derelict for some time, had, according to some residents, become a hotspot for squatters and pests.
In October 2021, permission was granted to demolish it and build eight new homes on the site. When the application was lodged, North West Leicestershire District Council noted that “the only interest [was] in relation to redevelopment proposals rather than the continued operation of the premises as a public house”.
A notice posted on the outside of the structure last month stated that the bulldozing of the building would commence on 26 August.
However, a week after the demolition was due to take place, the council has now stated that there was “an error” in its approved application, meaning that the works have been postponed for the moment.
“Unfortunately we discovered an error in the planning application we made which related to specific legislation around the demolition of pubs,” commented the councils’ strategic director of communities Andy Barton. “Applications for prior approval for demolition do not allow for demolition of any pubs, which have to be treated differently to other buildings.”
“Therefore we were unable to continue with that application and had to withdraw it whilst we prepare a new full planning application,” he added.
However, Barton assured that the delay to the demolition of the pub was simply a “planning formality” and that the plan to redevelop the site into house “hasn’t changed”.
Council interference
Councils are often the pivotal factor in deciding the fate of a pub or ex-pub.
The China Hall in Rotherhithe was being converted into housing, without planning permission, until Southwark Council intervened, whereas Sheffield City Council knocked down one of the city’s historic boozers by mistake.
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