Student flats plan for former pub as gym set to relocate
Old Druid Arms could be razed for three-storey block
A FORMER pub could be demolished to make way for a block of student flats.
The old Druid’s Arms in Loughborough is currently home to the John Skillen Martial Arts Centre and gym, which is looking to relocate to allow the redevelopment to take place.
Mr Skillen and his business partner are behind the plans but have stressed that the gym in Pinfold Gate will remain open until they have found a suitable alternative premises to move the fitness business into.
Then they hope to sell the site, which was also previously known as the Wig and Gavel, to a developer with planning permission for the three-storey block of cluster flats for 52 students.
Planning officers at Charnwood Borough Council are considering the scheme submitted by Skillman Investments Ltd - the company set up by Mr Skillen and his partner.
The Druid, opposite Loughborough Magistrates’ Court, served its last pint in 2015 and after that the martial arts centre took it over, relocating from its nearby base, which is now the constituency office of Loughborough MP Jane Hunt.
Mr Skillen said: “We want to move and we had somewhere on Nottingham Road we thought was perfect.
“It was an empty building but the council didn’t like it because there wasn’t much parking.
“So we are actively looking somewhere else.
“We want to stay in Loughborough or on the edge of it because we are a family business, a part of the community and this has always been our home.
“We’ll keep going until we find the right place then we’ll move - we are looking to buy rather than rent but it may be we go in somewhere on a short term lease.
“We’re not rushing this.” Mr Skillen added: “This area is going to be something of a student village. There’s permission for 125 bedrooms next to us. There’s the big scheme being built on Aumberry Gap and then there is the old tax office conversion. If we can get more students in purpose-built accommodation it frees up the housing in the town for families.”
Documents submitted to the council say: “The development would achieve high-quality design with an individual appearance which would contribute positively to surrounding context and help improve the image and arrival experience from Pinfold Gate into the town centre.”
Planning officers are considering the scheme.