Fenland councillors reject plans to turn Whittlesey pub into housing

The former Letter B pub in Whittlesey now operates as the BBQs and Brews

Plans to convert a pub into three new homes have been rejected by a local authority.

The former landlord of The Letter B in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, submitted the plans after putting it on the market.

Its new owners have since renovated the pub and reopened it as the BBQs and Brews, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) heard.

Fenland District Council (FDC) voted unanimously to reject the application.

Former landlord, Bruce Roan, had not withdrawn the planning application despite the pub being in new hands, and did not attend the FDC meeting where its outcome was determined. 

As such, councillors rejected the application and allowed the pub to continue operating.

'Pub of the Year'

Under Mr Roan's ownership, The Letter B was an award-winning pub known for its live music, quizzes and charity fundraising. 

It was named Peterborough and Cambridgeshire's CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Pub of the Year in 2012 and CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year in 2015 and 2016. 

Mr Roan put the property on the market in 2020 before it was bought in 2021.

Conservative councillor for March South, Jan French, told the meeting there were not "many pubs left in Whittlesey" and that "we have to preserve what's there."

Gavin Booth, Liberal Democrat councillor for Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary, said that pubs were closing across the country "at an alarming rate". 

FDC officers said in a report on the plans that one of the three houses proposed at the site "fails to meet the requirements set out within the National Space Standards with regard to bedroom sizes, which is therefore likely to result in poor levels of residential amenity for future occupiers".