Appeal launched over refusal of plans to build houses next to village pub in Flintshire

An appeal has been launched after permission for plans to build three houses next to a village pub in Flintshire was refused.

Punch Partnerships applied to knock down an outbuilding at the back of the Swan Inn in Higher Kinnerton earlier this year to make way for the properties.

Representatives for the national pub chain said the move would boost the success of the business.

However, Flintshire Council rejected the proposals as it said the site was outside the village’s development boundary.

Officers said it would also have a negative impact on a historic farmhouse located nearby, known as Kinnerton Hall.

In a decision report issued in September, planning officer Katie Jones “It is considered that the three interconnected buildings will create a physical barrier which will block out the existing views of the Grade II Listed Kinnerton Hall from the Swan Inn car park and main road.

“It is considered that the proposed development will look decidedly alien and completely out of place on such a detached site almost equal distant between the historic hall and public house.

“It is considered that the proposed development will result in an adverse impact upon the historical setting of the Grade II Listed Kinnerton Hall.

“It is considered that the proposed siting, design and materials of the proposed new dwellings would be unsympathetic to the historical character of the listed building and adjacent curtilage buildings.”

Punch Partnerships has now chosen to challenge the decision after submitting the appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

The company previously said the housing proposals would improve the viability of the pub, as well as leading to the car park being reconfigured and a new decking area being created for customers.

In their application to the council, representatives said: “The Unitary Development Plan makes it clear it is important that viable community facilities particularly in rural areas are not lost as a result of commercial or other pressures.

“Community facilities are an essential part of the sustainability and well-being of local communities such as Higher Kinnerton and new development or a change of use should not result in the loss of community facilities; the proposed redevelopment does not.

“On the contrary the proposals represent an investment in the pub in terms of the new customer decking, which will be closer to the pub and suitable for use at times of the year when the existing, more remote and underutilised beer garden is not available.

“The parking layout is proposed to be improved and additional disabled spaces are being provided.

“When taken together the redevelopment proposals will increase the pub’s viability.”

The appeal will be considered by inspectors appointed by the Welsh Government at a later date.

Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).