FAMILIES FIGHT FLATS PLAN FOR FORMER PUB
Owner wants to convert historic Grade Ii-listed building
FAMILIES who want to see one of their town’s historic buildings reopened as a pub and hotel are opposing plans to convert it into flats.
The Royal Oak, in High Street, Cheadle, dates back to the early 19th century and is Grade Iilisted.
But it has been empty for more than six years and is now falling into disrepair. The Georgian building was listed as an asset of community value back in 2020 as residents were keen to see it renovated and returned to its original pub use.
Now Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has confirmed the community asset status doesn’t prevent the current owner from turning it into flats. It only gives local people the right to buy a building if it is put up for sale.
David Gough has applied for permission to convert The Royal Oak into nine flats. It follows lapsed planning approval for apartments which was granted in 2015.
A document, submitted as part of the latest application, states: “The design proposal is to refurbish the building as existing, with minimal works to the exterior of the building other than redecoration and repairs.
“Internally, there are few architectural features of merit. Those to be retained include the staircase, the oak beams, the fireplace in the new central lobby area, plus several stained-glass windows onto the stairs.”
There would be three apartments with three bedrooms, including a duplex flat. The other six would each have one bedroom.
Planning officers are recommending the district’s planning applications committee approves the scheme when it meets this Thursday. But it comes despite more than half-a-dozen objections, as well as concerns raised by Cheadle Town Council. The town council said changing the ground floor from offices to accommodation would be against policy on protecting retail space.
David Edwards, from Shelsley Road, Cheadle, is one of the local residents to write in opposing the plans. He said: “A hotel in Cheadle High Street was one of the recommendations of the master plan.
“The owners have allowed the last planning application to lapse. What is to say that they won’t do it a second time, allowing the building to fall into even greater state of disrepair?”
Paul Plant, from Monkhouse, Cheadle, said it should be reinstated as a hotel to ‘capitalise on the tourists flocking to Alton Towers’ just a few miles away. “The high streets are dying because of ventures such as these, which profit only the owner and put nothing back,” he added.
Another objector, Kay Mitchell, highlighted that it was one of the largest and oldest buildings remaining on the High Street. She wants to see it become a community hub.
She said: “If the district council is serious about developing the tourist trade in the Cheadle area, then they must see that Cheadle town centre needs somewhere for visitors to find out more about the area and its history. The Royal Oak could serve this purpose.” Planning officers say restoring the building to its pub use would be the ideal option.
But their report, drawn up for the committee, states: “Given the time the building has remained vacant, it is unlikely to return to its original use in the foreseeable future and it then becomes important to allow a new use in the interests of maintaining the building.”