Landmark Cannock pub to become shop

The new owners of The Pied Piper site in Cannock have applied to convert the building into a store. Disappointed campaigners say it is the 'last nail in the coffin' for their local. SEP Properties has submitted their plan to Cannock Chase Council.

Contracts on the site were exchanged in January and the pub closed the following month. In March, SEP director Engrez Sanghera indicated he had not ruled out re-opening The Pied Piper and operating it as a pub.

However, the current application involves remodelling and altering the existing building, with a large space marked for retail and a row of car park spaces at the front of the premises. The first floor would be retained as a living area.

The directors of SEP Properties remained tight-lipped today, but campaigners see the move as bad news for the future of the Pye Green Road pub.

The firm, which has bases in Dudley and Lichfield, also recently bought The Terrace silver service restaurant in Watling Street, Brownhills. Leading campaigner Phil Dempster said he would be speaking to other residents to determine how they felt about the new plans before deciding whether to continue the fight.

When news of the sell-off was announced last year, drinkers started a petition urging bosses to have a rethink. They said it was a 'vibrant community pub', home to several sports teams and actively involved in charity fundraising. Customers successfully applied to have the pub registered with the council as an 'asset of community value' after a petition to save it was signed by around 600 people.

It was the first time the legislation, brought in under the Localism Act more than two years ago, had been tested in the district.

The pub was placed on the authority's asset register until August 2019 and can only be replaced by another 'community asset'.

Mr Dempster said: "The problem is the term is open to interpretation. The community asset label could turn out to be a white elephant."

Bosses at SEP Properties were unavailable to comment.