Farm shop faces refusal

A DEVELOPER is facing defeat in its bid to knock down an ‘eyesore’ derelict pub and build a farm shop and restaurant.

The New Inn at Longsdon, near Leek, has been closed since December 2008 and is dilapidated. Today Upperdales Developers Ltd will learn the fate of its proposal to bulldoze the pub, which sits next to the A53 Leek Road, from district councillors. Planning officers are recommending councillors reject the scheme as ‘inappropriate development in the Green Belt’. Their report also refers to permission in place, which would see the building retained and four new homes provided. The loss of potential housing, given the district’s ‘significant shortfall’ in supply, goes against the farm shop proposal, the officer states.

The report adds there were nine objections from the public and two representations of support. It states: “The proposal has been found to be inappropriate development in the Green Belt. There would also be harm to openness, one of the essential characteristics of the Green Belt by replacing field land with a car park. “This would create development by the physical overlaying of the undeveloped land with the car park and road surface structure and it would bring a significant impact including loss of openness by its continual use with numbers of vehicles – potentially up to 74 parking on this part. “The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open.”

The planners add that the harm to the green belt is is not clearly outweighed by the other considerations verbally put forward by the applicant.