Approval given to convert village pub into housing

The pub's future has been debated for more than a decade

Campaigners have vowed to continue fighting to save a 100-year-old pub after planners agreed it could be converted into housing.

Waverley Borough Council’s planning committee approved the change of use for the Villagers Pub, in Blackheath, following more than a decade of dispute.

Opponents of the plan, including MPs, beer associations, town councils and residents, say the pub, which closed in 2011, is a valued community asset.

Supporters claim it is not economically viable and question the extent of community support.

Mr Williams, from the Blackheath Village Association, told the planning meeting that locals had made several unsuccessful offers to buy the pub.

He said the choice was between "public good and private gain" and that saving the pub was the "right thing" to do for the local community.

Campaigners said they intend to challenge the decision in the courts, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The 90-odd residents who I represent clearly disagree with the conclusion," Mr Williams said.

Planners said there was “no substantive evidence" to suggest the pub could succeed as it lacked parking and transport.

Ten alternative sites exist within 1.8 miles, they added.

Single dwelling

The Villagers Pub was shut in 2011 and converted into two homes.

Planning conditions at the time called for the site to remain a public house, but it never reopened.

Owner Ben Moore said the level of community support was "overrated" and that it would struggle to pass the £200,000-a-year mark – the minimum a pub typically needs to stay afloat.

The pub had been marketed for sale for the past six years without success.

Under the plans, the pub will be re-joined with the homes to make one single dwelling with the existing semi-detached property.

Planners supported the decision by eight votes to two.

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