LOCALS are devastated after councillors backed a scheme to tear down a 400 year old community pub and turn it into new homes.
Feeling are running high in Redhill, Surrey after a handful of councillors backed plans to pull down the 16th century, Grade II listed, White Lion Public House.
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It now looks set to become new homes, to the horror of locals who used to drink in the old pub.
A Friends group set up on social media has accused the developer’s of trying to cash in on the town’s history.
The decision to approve the application came down to the planning committee with chair Councillor Simon Parnall casting the deciding vote.
Two councillors sided in favour with two against, and eight abstentions, reports Surrey Live. There were 136 letter of objection and 13 in support.
Jonathan White, speaking on behalf of the Friends of White Lion, a community group set up in 2019 to protect the “historic gem”, said: “Put simply the applicant is seeking to monetise our history for their private financial gain.”
He added: “There was no reasonable chance of the building being brought back as a pub. The guide price of £575,000 or an annual rent of £39,000, was unrealistic.
“The one thing that is missing in the report is any discussion of the asking price.
“Demand is a function of price and its quite clear the problem is not the pub, it’s the price.
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At the right price the pub is viable. From the Friends perspective, the plans to make a community use purchase were rendered a complete non-starter by the money the applicant wanted.
“The property was bought by the applicant in 2018 for £525,000 and post covid, without the benefit of any capital improvements or additional planning permissions, but with the drawback of ongoing and worsening dilapidation, the price selected for the marketing exercise was £575,000 an increase of 10 percent.
“The applicant may well have overpaid in buying the property themselves.”
The meeting heard the developers had tried to find a buyer for the pub but, despite an 18 month marketing drive, failed to receive any concrete offers “either because the asking price was not met or the potential difficulties and potential expenditure required to take on a Grade II listed building”.
The developers claimed that they had tried to find a buyer for the pub, but were unable to do so despite an 18 month marketing blitz.
Council officers said there were enough pubs nearby to cover for any shortfall.
Mark Senate, who spoke on behalf of the scheme, said they had worked to create “a much improved scheme and create a building that has been sensitively restored”.
He said the plans were also “ the best way to preserve a listed building” which had deteriorated in the five years since it was sold to developers.
Cllr Michael Blacker said: “I’m so disappointed we’ve already lost the Angel, The Yew Tree and now the White Hart, three of the oldest pubs.
“I find [with] all of these pubs that we are losing, I blame totally the breweries who are too lazy, unimaginative in how to make a pub work.”
He added that it would be difficult to refuse the application on planning grounds, but he could not support it.
Councillor Stephen Kulka, (LD: Meadvale and St Johns) spoke during the debate. He said: “We’re presented with a sort of compromise design that is best that can be legally achieved. There is no way that planning legislation can be used to refuse this application.”
A local man posted on Facebook: “Still aghast at the decision tonight… not the losing, so much, but so many bloomin abstentions.
“Do they not care enough to make a decision??? Either way would have been better, surely.”
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A woman from the area said: “Used to drink in this pub many moons ago but like most are dying out. “
