Latest bid to redevelop former pub rejected

The owner of a pub which closed in 2016 has once again been refused permission to change its use.

Telford and Wrekin Council said the latest proposal, to turn the Cleveland Arms in High Ercall into a house, would have been an "unjustified permanent loss of a valued community asset".

Owner John Hickinbottom had argued he had tried to sell it as a pub, and that the costs of refurbishing the building were prohibitive.

Over the past decade there have been several attempts to redevelop the site, all of which have been refused by Telford and Wrekin Council.

The authority's decisions have been backed by planning inspectors.

The pub on Cotwall Road had been a part of village life for about 200 years, a planning report said, but it closed after "structural defects" were found.

Hickinbottom's previous attempts to develop the site have been opposed by people living nearby, as well as the local parish council.

There were some residents who supported the latest proposed change however, as a way to improve the site.

In his submission to the council, Hickinbottom provided evidence of attempts to sell the pub and said the only interest had been from developers.

He wrote: "In the last decade nobody, including Ercall Magna Parish Council, CPC or Telford and Wrekin Council has been willing to commit to the purchase of the pub and bowling green and to fund their restoration for the community."

He said he was not prepared to spend £1m or more to bring the pub back into use.

But a report prepared by council officers said the authority was "not satisfied that the applicant has demonstrated a lack of need for the facility, that all realistic opportunities for the retention of the premises in community use have been exhausted, or that an equivalent alternative facility exists to serve the needs of the local community".

Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.