End of the road for the Mile if flats plan is agreed
A DERBY pub that has been the site of a watering hole for hundreds of years has closed its doors for good.
The Mile pub in Friar Gate, at the junction of Uttoxeter Old Road and Ashbourne Road is set to be turned into flats.
A planning application submitted to Derby City Council by JAI Housing details how the pub is said to be non-viable and had been in rapid decline even before the pandemic.
A decision will be made by the city council on whether to approve the proposals, but regardless of its success its owner says there are no plans to reopen it.
If approved, the main bar would be converted into two flats and a timber extension to the back of the building would be demolished and replaced with a two-storey extension housing two further flats.
The timber structure, built 50 years ago, is said to be in a poor state of repair.
One of the flats would be a onebedroom, two would be two-bedroomed and one would be a threebedroom home.
The eye-catching corner sign on the curve of the building facing the Ashbourne Road and Uttoxeter Old
Road junction would be removed if the plans are approved, and the side door would be blocked up.
The pub has been closed since early this year. This was after a run of different licensees who took on the business in the past decade.
Its upper floors are already being used for flats.
A statement by Planning Design, on behalf of the applicants, says: “The existing use is no longer commercially viable and this has been shown by the turnover of tenants and the persistent vacancy.
“Before Covid-19, economic and social changes placed a significant impact on the pub trade particularly those pubs which trade principally on wet sales.
“The reason for the rapid rate of closure is a mixture of consumer confidence and the escalating price of stock, staff and rentals being charged by major breweries and suppliers, coupled with the unprecedented impact of the ongoing pandemic has prompting owners to diversify their options.
“Pubs that have survived and prospered are those that are able to diversify their offer, particularly those able to capture the food trade.
“Unfortunately, the Mile has been unable to respond effectively to these changes.
“Previous owners have tried to establish the pub in the marketplace as a food-led offer, but this has largely failed due to the clientele it was attracting.
“The number of competing food outlets and convenience stores in the locality, plus the large level of licensed trade competition in the area, means that the pub is unable to attract the scale of financial investment required to repair, refurbish, and convert the outlet into a successful proposition.
“The pub is closed and there are no plans for it to reopen.
“A pub is a recognised community facility but in this instance, there is no shortage of pubs in the immediate vicinity. With so many establishments in such a small area, losing one will not affect the vitality and viability of the area.
“By converting the building, the history and whole fabric of the building will be protected and it will continue to contribute to the appearance and character of the conservation area.”
A pub is believed to have been on the site since before 1800, with Ashbourne Road built in 1738. It was called the Wheel from the 1770s and records from 1800 refer to the pub as the Wheel Inn.
It was later called the Garrick, the Thirsty Scholar and become known as The Mile End in 2007 century, now merely The Mile.
The three-storey building is a prominent site and forms a key part of the Friar Gate Conservation Area.
The pub has always been part of the traditional Derby Mile – originally a sequence of 20 pubs and bars stretching from Markeaton Island along Ashbourne Road and Friar Gate down to the city centre. The challenge was to take a drink in each pub and still make it to the Lord Nelson on the corner of Curzon Street.
The Courtyard, a pub and function room attached to The Mile, is not affected by the plans.