Bid to turn ex-pub into 15-bed house knocked back

Plans to turn a derelict pub into a 15-bedroom house share have been knocked back.

In the run up to the decision about the former Crispin Arms on Birkett Bann in Wigan, protesters gathered to claim the area would be "ghettoised" by the change.

More than 87 people objected to the application, listing the growing number of house of multiple occupation (HMO) in the area as a key issue.

The application by Duha Properties was dismissed by Wigan Council's planning committee over concerns it was an "intensification of residential use".

Hundreds had objected to the plans which were dismissed by planners

There were also concerns raised over crime and anti-social behaviour, noise, rubbish and vermin, and added pressure on local health services, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Duha Properties' plan for the pub, which became vacant last year, was aimed at tackling housing demand and to "reduce pressure" to develop green field site, a company spokesman had said.

A planning officer's report said the proposals would have resulted in an "over-developed" set of flats with a lack of off-street parking.

This would have had a "detrimental" effect on the living conditions of neighbouring residents, they said.