Famous old inn to be demolished

MOORS: One of North Yorkshire’s most famous pubs is due to be demolished under plans set to be approved by the North York Moors National Park Authority this week.

The derelict Saltersgate Inn, an old smugglers’ haunt on the A169 between Pickering and Whitby, will be replaced by a single-storey cafe and tap room.

ONE OF North Yorkshire’s most famous pubs is due to be demolished under plans set to be approved by the North York Moors National Park Authority this week.

The derelict Saltersgate Inn, an old smugglers’ haunt on the A169 between Pickering and Whitby, will be replaced by a singlestorey cafe and tap room, according to the plans put forward by Pocklington-based Havernbeck Ltd.

Located on a steep winding hill known locally as The Devil’s Elbow, near the Hole of Horcum, the inn used to be renowned for its peat fire which had burned continuously for more than 200 years until the pub closed.

But for over a decade now, the historic inn has been seen as one of the worst eyesores in North York Moors National Park.

A victim of the financial crash in 2008, a previous developer had plans approved to convert the property into a more hotel-focused operation but went bankrupt part way into the inn’s redevelopment.

The structural state of the building has deteriorated significantly since then, a report by National Park planners says.

In a report to be put before the National Park authority’s planning committee on Thursday, planning officers say: “The property... has been left to fall into an extremely poor state of repair by the previous owner.”

The property was sold last year and since then planning officers have been working with its new owners “to find an acceptable way forward for either renovation of the existing building or redevelopment of the site”, their report states.

Due to the public interest in the site, planning officers at the National Park enlisted expert architects and landscape architects from the Design Council to work with the new owners and assess the property’s potential.

The architects concluded that because the inn is located on the largest expanse of heather moorland in England and Wales, its unique landscape should be the driving force behind the design of a new build to replace the old building.

According to the subsequent proposals, the new inn will have a cafe and a restaurant to seat 60 people, plus space to brew its own beers and offer a tap room.

“The offering is for a familyfriendly environment for casual diners, walkers, coffee drinkers, a convenient meeting place, and an eating destination that offers an attractive environment throughout all the seasons”, the planners’ report adds.

The new building would be Lshaped to create shelter for those wishing to use outside seating areas. It would be set back from the road, the site’s current open access along its front would be closed off for safety reasons and heather banking and dry stone walls would line the roadside.

The planning officers’ report concludes: “The proposed development would result in a significant visual improvement to the immediate and wider landscape, due to the removal of a longstanding eyesore in this part of the National Park and replacement with a well-designed and innovative development which would serve the local community and tourists alike.

“This proposal is likely to significantly improve the economic viability of this historic use, which is one of the few such facilities located on the main road between Pickering and Whitby.”

The property has been left to fall into an extremely poor state of repair. A report to the North York Moors National Park Authority’s planning committee.