A plan to convert a rural village pub and its car park into housing has been thrown out by Bury Council.
Proposals to turn Grade II listed The Lord Raglan at Mount Pleasant in Nangreaves, near Bury, into four apartments and build six terraced homes on its car park were submitted to Bury Council by developers City View Estates.
The pub, which dates back to the nineteenth century, shut suddenly in October 2017 when its landlord, Terry Leyden, retired.
Villagers then formed The Raglan Community Hub group in a bid to rescue the pub but attempts to buy the site failed. The campaigners hoped to allow the pub to continue as a public amenity for the community and successfully applied for it to be listed as an asset of community value.
READ MORE: Green light for bus reform: What does it mean for passengers?
In September 2019, City View Estates told the Manchester Evening News they had agreed a deal to buy the land for £500,000, subject to planning permission. The plans were to convert the existing public house building into four two-bed apartments and build four terraced houses on the car park area.
The site is within the Mount Pleasant conservation area which aims to protect the existing layout of the village. 207 representations were received by the council, 96 of which, including a petition, objected.
The council also received 109 submissions in support of the proposal, including two petitions. A notice of refusal of the plans has been published by Bury Council in the past week.
An officer’s report into the application, said: “The proposal would result in the introduction of a significant and substantial built form northwards from the current village limit, on an exposed and widely visible site from roads, public rights of way and vantage points in the locality and the wider area.
“Thus, the proposal would have a significantly greater impact upon the openness of the green belt and would be unduly obtrusive. It would cause less than substantial harm to the setting and appearance of the Mount Pleasant conservation area and grade II listed building, which would not be outweighed by the public benefit.
“The proposal would also result in the loss of an identified asset of community value, lack appropriate levels of vehicle parking which would have unacceptable impacts on highway safety.”
The notice of refusal was dated April 14. 2022.
To get the latest email updates from the Manchester Evening News, click here.
