Old pub housing plan to be rejected
PLANS to build eight homes on the site of a disused Burscough pub look set to be rejected by West Lancashire Borough Council.
Housing firm Elwood Estates applied last year for permission to demolish the former Martin Inn, at Martin Lane, and build eight semi-detached houses on the land.
All of these would be three-bed semi-detached properties, four of which would be classed as affordable housing.
The proposals were due to be decided by the council’s planning committee last month, only to be delayed at the last month due to allowing for extra guidance from the planning officer.
The committee will instead decide on the plans tonight (Thursday, April 19) and the officer’s report has recommended rejecting the application – despite describing the proposed layout, designs and access as acceptable.
Although letters of support have been received from neighbours who say development would make the blind corner safer and from people interested in moving to the area, the officer’s report says permission should be denied, with the location described as unsuitable for development.
According to the report, redeveloping the land would be in contradiction of the West Lancashire Local Plan by allowing houses to be built in an isolated and “unsuitable” location, away from designated “settlement boundaries”.
According to the planning application, the pub has been empty since closing down in May, 2016, and had been unable to prove profitable despite operating for its final year on a zero-rate basis.
It also states that, since 2002, eight tenants have failed to make a success of running the Martin Inn and lists 18 other nearby pubs which have closed in recent years.
The application states: “The large building and associated car parking in their vacant state are having a detrimental impact on the character of the locality. Due to the non-probability of the public house, the building has become run down due to lack of general maintenance.
“The submitted proposals aim to bring back to use a redundant site located in a residential pocket near Burscough. The site is brownfield within the green belt and the impact on openness will not be detrimentally affected.”
West Lancs’ planning committee will decide on the issue in a public meeting at the council offices at Derby Street, Ormskirk.