Chester & Cheshire News
Derelict village pub could be turned into office space
A new proposal has been made for The Stag's Head in Great Warford
Stephen Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
The Stag's Head, in Great Warford
A village pub that has been closed since 2014 could get a new lease of life, if plans to covert it to offices are approved.
The Stag's Head, in Great Warford, was bought by Ribble Valley Inns following its closure.
Plans to expand it with new hotel rooms were approved by Cheshire East Council in April 2017 – thanks to the support of villagers looking to save their local.
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But the redevelopment never came to fruition – and now the council has given the green light for the old pub to become offices for financial and professional services firm Regent Level Limited.
A report published by the council said: "The building in its current form does not make any contribution to the social wellbeing or interests of the local community.
"It has been vacant for five years, with marketing unsuccessful in finding a community use for the building.
"The proposed use, while not a community facility, would provide a new use for this building.
"It would also provide employment in the local area."
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Ribble Valley Inns was owned by Michelin-starred chef Nigel Haworth and award-winning hotelier Craig Bancroft, both of the Northcote Hotel in Ribble Valley, Lancashire.
The firm won planning permission to overhaul the Stag's Head in 2016, before submitting bigger plans to the council for an annex to provide more hotel bedrooms the following year, claiming that the scheme was the only way of making the pub viable to run.
Planning officers called on councillors to refuse the scheme – with the pub being set in Cheshire's green belt – but local councillors and residents convinced them to back the plans.
However, Ribble Valley Inns was sold off the following year and the Stag's Head was bought by Regent Level Limited.
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In a letter sent to the council about the application, Elizabeth Maddock, clerk at Great Warford Parish Council, said: "Great Warford Parish Council is disappointed that the proposed change of use will result in the loss of one of the last public facilities within the parish.
"However, it is hoped that through positive engagement with the owners, steps can be taken to allow the site to continue to contribute positively to the local community."
Warford Residents Group also wrote to the council in support of the planning application – noting that the market for the Stag's Head 'is not as viable as it was' and that the developer had confirmed it would be involved 'in village life'.
Regent Level Limited says 18 full-time employees could work at the premises, which will keep the current 40-space car park.
A single-storey extension will be built to the rear of the pub, although Richard Lee Project Planning says the building's appearance 'will hardly change'.
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