The pub, that is…
Despite strong opposition, Waverley Planners have allowed a Blackheath pub to become a residence.
The Villager Pub in Blackheath was once a popular watering hole in the Surrey Hills.
The long battle over the future of an empty historic pub in the picturesque Surrey village is now over. Unless, of course, the local planning authority’s decision is appealed. Which they often are.
The pub owner near Shamley Green and Wonersh requested and was given planning consent to change the pub into a residential property and merge it with the adjoining house.
The Villagers now join other local pubs in the eastern villages that have closed their doors. They include the Four Elms in Smithwood Common, The Boy and Donkey in Cranleigh, The Barn, The Crown and The Compasses in Alfold, The Leathern Bottle near Dunsfold, and, more recently, The Cranley.
The application revealed that the pub, which initially closed in 2011 and was later split into homes, retained just a tiny drinking venue; however, it failed to find a buyer in all that time and, rather than maintain an empty site, would allow the venue to be converted into a family home.
In recommending approval, Waverley officers said they were conscious of the public’s and councillors’ perception of the community’s efforts to keep a prized asset open. However, after 13 years, there was minimal evidence to suggest they would successfully sell the site or that a licensed operator would take it on.
Objectors disagree, claiming attempts to take over the site had been made needlessly complex over the years, decreasing the likelihood of finding a buyer. They argued that it should become a community hub for walkers and cyclists.
The Blackheath Village Society turned it into a community asset in 2013 and reinstated it in November 2020; it supports a community hub.
The council’s full planning committee heard that a viability study suggested a pub would struggle to make money and that anyone interested in taking over the site had ample opportunity to come forward.
Wonersh Parish Council opposed the plans, arguing that community hubs are “popular and successful” elsewhere.
No great surprise there. Used to be a great pub back in the day.
The brutal fact in the case of many of these old (potentially unviable) pubs, is that the property owner is going to fetch a better price for residential, than they would by providing local residents groups the opportunity to buy at a below market price. Economics versus Charitable – an unfair contest?