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Search the Public Notice PortalLosing an operational pub “has not been justified” according to council experts, in a lifeline for a boozer eyed for demolition.
The Wellington Arms looked set to be knocked down when an application to build eight homes and retail space on its site went in last month.
However, a document submitted by the Watford Borough Council planning policy team now suggests getting permission will not be plain sailing for the developer.
They said the application “incorrectly” refers to the existing use as 'class A', when it really should fall under the specific ‘public house’ class which then makes it officially a ‘community facility’.
The Watford Local Plan sets out that the loss of these will only be supported if the facility is no longer needed and no alternative community uses are needed there.
Otherwise, it would need to be vacant for at least 12 months, with clear marketing evidence showing it cannot be re-used, or it must be re-provided at a higher quality somewhere else.
The pub is still serving customers as normal and the council team claim the proposal “does not provide any evidence that the public house is no longer viable or no longer needed at the site”.
Additionally, it is within a local centre and therefore the local plan requires development to contribute positively to this function.
The document suggests the 56.91-square-metre commercial space included in the plans does not justify losing a 180-square-metre pub which “has been a feature of the local centre and local community for over 150 years”.
Concluding, it acknowledges the positive contribution to local housing needs but finds “these benefits must be weighed against the loss of an existing, active community facility within a designated local centre”.
The pub building already contains seven bedsits, but these are described as “poor quality” and below modern space standards.
According to the applicant, the building is “now in poor condition, in part because the business has been running at a loss for several years, which has made the upkeep a financial challenge”.
It adds that it “has suffered significant deterioration, both physically and in terms of its community function”.
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A heritage analysis found “its architectural and communal value has been substantially diminished due to extensive alterations and neglect”.
June 4 has been set as the internal target date for a decision.
The Wellington Arms was built in around 1870 and is described as a “typical Victorian pub”, although it is not a listed building.
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