Planning Permission Granted for homes at Wiltshire Yeoman

Planning consent has been granted for Change of Use and Conversion of the Wiltshire Yeoman Public House, Chirton Nr Devizes into 5 x bedroom family home. The large L shaped detached skittle alley will be part demolished, retaining the front section as garage for the house.  Further development in the grounds has been approved for A new build 5 x bedroom house. Development due to start in March when the ACV listing has been dealt with.

Andy Scott of RELCAP said on ACV’s

‘We are glad the consent was granted, the pub had been closed for a long time, and clearly wasn’t viable, with multiple tenant failures and no local support. Our concerns remain over the mis-use of the 2011 Localism Act. The Act was designed for locals to protect; and in some cases club together and buy their local community facilities. Increasingly though we are seeing Parish Council’s listing former pubs as Asset’s of community value ( ACV’s ) when there is no interest or willingness by locals to purchase the asset. In this case there were no objections to the Change of Use from locals, and parish supported yet still nominated the pub as an ACV.

Under the act, those who consider the nomination also have no choice but to list as an asset, as the criteria they must consider it against being. Now or at sometime in the next five years; there is a chance it could be reused as a community asset

 

I support the localism act, but believe it needs amending so assets can only be nominated as an ACV within 3 months of the property being placed on the market.  This would allow community groups a further six months protected period to raise funds and the opportunity to purchase whilst being marketed as a going concern if they genuinely wanted. Agents must ensure the locals are aware its available, and be clearly marketed. Equally pubco’s or sellers are not obliged to accept the offer.  But To list as an ACV after 12 months of marketing, sometimes when the pub closes after both a trade buyer and locals expressed no interest in buying seems a mis-use of the act and disingenous. Increasingly listings are often only in reaction to a planning application, in an attempt to thwart development.

 

The old adage to save your local pub was. ‘Use it or lose it.’ The ACV rules should assist locals but should be balanced for pubco’s and developers.  ‘Use it, buy it or lose it’