Three houses to be built on pub's car park could put boozer’s future in doubt
The green light has been given for three houses to be built in a pub car park – but there are fears the development could put a dampener on the boozer’s future if it goes ahead.
The Labour in Vain in Yarnfield is currently closed and new tenants are being sought to reopen it, councillors have been told.
The Yarnfield Lane pub and its car park have been registered with Stafford Borough Council as an Asset of Community Value. The car park currently has 46 spaces.
Ward councillor Roy James called in the application, which sought outline consent for three houses, for consideration by the planning committee so it could consider the impact of the development on the surrounding area, visual amenity, development density and parking issues. More than 50 people objected to the application, with concerns including loss of parking for the existing pub and access concerns.
Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council fears the reduction in car park size “will cause substantial harm to the viability of the public house”, a report to Wednesday’s planning committee meeting said. Parish council clerk John Fraser told the committee: “The parish council’s principle concern is that the application will affect traffic safety on Yarnfield Lane and the surrounding areas because of the reduction in size of the car park.
“The revised layout submitted by the applicant shows parking for 20 spaces will be retained by the pub. The applicant believes there is ample space on the road that can be safely used to accommodate any overspill from the pub – the county council has now approved double yellow restrictions on Yarnfield Lane and High Lows Lane in the vicinity of the pub.”
Councillor James said: “This application is a blank canvas, with the possibility of building some houses in the future at some date – or not as the case may be. Yarnfield is a key service village and as such has facilities; we have got a shop, Post Office, a community centre, a village hall and a pub.
“All of that cements the community together. And if you take the pub and all those parking spaces you are only going to annihilate the community.”
Committee member Gareth Jones said: “You need to look at the premises as a whole, not just the pub but the facilities around it such as the car park. This application has a significant effect on that, which I think anybody could see as a threat to its continuity.
“Pubs of this nature in the middle of a village are extremely important. I would be very much against anything that damages the viability of such an operation.”
The planning committee granted outline consent for the new homes however. Four members voted in favour, two against and there was one abstention.
