Apartments plan for closed Walsall pub site
A Walsall pub which called last orders for the final time earlier this year could be demolished to make way for new apartments.
A proposal to create nine one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom flats at The Boatman’s Rest, in High Street, Walsall Wood, has been submitted to planners.
In the application, owners AK and RK Ltd said it closed prior to lockdown and keeping the venue open as a pub is no longer financially viable.
They added there were seven other pubs within less than one-and-a-half miles of The Boatman’s Rest and converting it into apartments would avert the prospect of an empty building sitting on the High Street.
Walsall Council planning officers are currently considering the proposal and a decision is due in the next three months.
Agents Lapworth Architects said: “The building is a former public house which was in operation until early 2020 – since then, the building has been vacant.
“It is the opinion of the agent that the loss of the Boatman’s Rest will not be detrimental to the area as there are a number of similar public house facilities within close proximity of the site in a more convenient location.
“Whilst the Boatman’s Rest was open up until the recent pandemic, it had been struggling to achieve the same numbers of patrons as before and business was declining.
“For this reason, reopening the public house is not economically viable for the applicant as they would require a good level of business all year round.
“As the building currently stands, it is a derelict public house with a neglected overall site which requires a change of use to restore the character and greenness that is present within the area.
“We feel that our proposal demonstrates a suitable response to the immediate area whilst also ensuring there is a not a detrimental effect on the local community by the loss of the Boatman’s Rest public house.”
