The Battleaxes ‘Planners must see pub isn’t viable’
OWNERS of an historic North Somerset pub say they are being put in a “nightmare” financial situation by council planners – who they claim are “negative” towards plans to develop the site.
Kumar and Panna Patel, who own The Battleaxes in Wraxall, say they have had offers for the building made by developers.
But they claim each time prospective buyers approach the council with outline plans to develop the site, the response from the authority is “negative”.
The couple claim that so far three prospective buyers wanting to convert the pub into apartments and build homes on the grounds have pulled out.
The Battleaxes closed at the start of the first lockdown in March 2020 and has not reopened since.
The previous operator of the pub, The Country Pub Group, entered administration last August.
The property, built in 1881, was put up for sale in December with leisure specialist Fleurets with a price tag of £1 million.
Mr and Mrs Patel say the latest developer pulled out only a few days ago.
The couple had even received the sale contract but are now facing the prospect of a £3,000a-month rates bill from July following the end of the Covid holiday.
“We know local people would like to see their pub reopen but when you realise that it would cost around £15,000 in monthly expenses just to reopen the doors, and that’s without paying wages, then both they and the planners must surely see that The Battleaxes is no longer viable,” said Mr Patel.
Mrs Patel said that besides the £38,000 annual rates bill the couple also had substantial bank interest charges to meet and the whole situation was turning into a nightmare.
“Sensitive restoration of our grade II-listed building and its conversion into apartments, together with the provision of new homes on the surrounding parking areas, just has to be the way forward,” said Mrs Patel.
“The longer this goes on the more the site will fall into disrepair so we are appealing to the planners to take a far more realistic and practical view,” she said.
An application to turn the sprawling property into a single home was submitted to North Somerset Council in April.
However this week the application was withdrawn by the Patels.
The move to turn the pub into a six-bedroom home sparked a mixed reaction from the community. Some described plans to convert it to a private residence as a “devastating blow” to the local community, who used it as a place to meet and socialise.
The community room at The Grove – used as a meeting place by villagers and community groups – closed several years ago.
The village’s other pub, The Old Barn, closed in November 2017.
In recent years The Battleaxes had become a popular venue for wedding receptions and family gatherings.
Wraxall and Failand Parish Council has also voted against the change of use application.
However, some supported the application saying they feared the building could be left to decay otherwise.
North Somerset Council said the pub needed to be marketed as a community facility for at least six months.
A North Somerset Council spokesman said: “Under planning policy a public house is considered to be a community facility. A change of use will not be considered until the applicant can demonstrate that the property has been marketed as a community facility for at least six months (in this case we would expect it to be marketed as a public house at normal market value).
“The applicant has not done this and was told the application would be refused, so has withdrawn it.”
We know local people would like to see their pub reopen but... The Battleaxes is no longer viable Kumar Patel