Villagers oppose plans to turn empty pub into home

Plans to turn Blackheath pub The Villagers into a home have raised community objections

A pub which has lain empty for more than a decade has become the centre of a village dispute following plans to turn it into a home.

Waverley Borough Council officers have recommended that councillors give owners of the 100-year-old pub, which closed in 2011, the green light at a planning meeting on Wednesday.

However, residents who oppose the move want to turn Blackheath's The Villagers pub into a community hub, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Former Guildford MP Angela Richardson said: "I strongly believe this building will be of greater value to the local residents if it is offered to the community instead of being approved for residential use.”

The pub was turned into homes and a smaller drinking venue in 2017 by residential developer Lux Homes Ltd.

Waverley Borough Council planning officers wrote: "The size of the remaining public house, lack of adequate parking facilities and remote location would severely limit future viability for either a community-led operation or a national service operator."

The Blackheath Village Society successfully applied to turn the building into an asset of community value (ACV) in 2013 and 2020.

If a building with ACV status is listed for sale within five years, community groups are given the right to make a first bid - but there is no obligation on the owner to accept this offer.

'A different approach'

Community groups have disputed a viability report prepared for the council which has suggested a pub would struggle to make any money.

The Surrey Hants Borders Branch of CAMRA – the Campaign for Real Ale – pubs officer Kevin Travers wrote: “The community based pub is a very different approach and far more likely to be successful.

"I am aware that the Blackheath Village Society has developed a detailed business plan that clearly demonstrates how this could be a viable business.”

Wonersh Town Council has also objected to a change of use, saying a community hub would be popular with visitors to the village.