Historic coaching inn will no longer serve as pub

The Craven Arms has been shut for three years, according to planning documents

A Grade II-listed coaching inn in Shropshire that is more than 200 years old is set to be fully converted into apartments after plans were approved.

Planning permission had already been granted for the first and second floors of The Craven Arms Hotel, Craven Arms, to become apartments when a change of use request by Rugby Property Assets was submitted in November.

This means the pub facilities on the ground floor of the building will now also be developed, into a further seven flats.

A statement issued by Base Architects said that as the pub had been closed for at least five years, its conversion would not have a detrimental impact.

"There are also a number of community assets within 400m of the site, including two public houses, namely, The Stables Inn and The Stokesay Inn & B&B," reads the statement.

The last landlord of the pub was Billing Leisure Ltd, which dissolved in April 2019.

'Reflect historic status'

The Craven Arms was briefly open between 2019 and 2020 when it was understood to be under new ownership - but was sold in 2022 after being closed for two-and-a-half years, with a detailed review to bring the pub back into use.

Base said: "After a thorough advertising process, there was no interest in the property for the retention of the public house function and that it was ultimately suited as a development opportunity."

The company said the decision was primarily due to the costs to refurbish the pub versus the potential financial returns on the investment "would not be viable".

Craven Arms Town Council requested that a condition be attached to require that the development to prominently display signage that includes "Craven Arms".

It said this would reflect the building's unique and historic status. The request was approved, said planning officer Sara Jones.