Great Wolford campaigners raise a glass after council refuse consent to convert The Fox and Hounds into six-bedroom house
VILLAGERS plan a party to celebrate saving their beloved community pub.
Campaigners in Great Wolford will raise a glass or two on 30th August, following a decision to refuse consent to convert The Fox and Hounds into a six-bedroom house.
The eleventh-hour victory on 14th August was watched by 60 supporters who packed into Stratford District Council’s planning committee meeting at Elizabeth House.
Residents have spent more than six years and fought three previous applications to switch the 17th-century watering hole to housing, by holding meetings, fund-raising events and gathering support and expert testimonies.
At this fourth application the planning officer’s recommendation was to grant permission.
Owners Jackie Harding and Steve Allely took over the pub in 2015 and spent £40,000 revamping the Grade-II listed building, ripping out the original oak bar and replacing it with a contemporary one, and installing a juke box.
The pair closed the pub in 2016, claiming it was not a viable business and it has remained shut since.
The applicants’ claim that the pub is no longer viable was backed by an assessment by commercial property experts Everard Cole.
Speaking for the objectors was chartered surveyor and landlord David Morgan of pub valuation firm Morgan & Clarke, who gave evidence of similar community pubs which are thriving.
Great Wolford resident James van Helden, a key member of the Save the Fox and Hounds campaign, told councillors the pub has been marketed by its owners at an unrealistic price of £550,000, despite valuations of £350,000-£375,000.
He also confirmed a group of investors, led by a villager, offered £400,000 but that was rejected.
SDC councillor Sarah Whalley-Hoggins (Con, Brailes and Compton) said it was “outrageous” the committee were debating another application to convert the Fox & Hounds to residential use.
She said it was “a pity the applicants/owners didn’t show the same level of tenacity and determination to run the Fox & Hounds successfully” and described them as developers, pointing out the pair had featured on TV property show Homes Under the Hammer.
Cllr Whalley-Hoggins added that crowds turning up to support the previous 50 pop-up pub events demonstrated that the village and wider community “support and need a pub”.
Urging her fellow councillors to reject the application, she reminded them the pub is registered as an asset of community value and has been the “beating heart to both the current community and for 300 years”.
Councillors voted to refuse the application by eight votes to one.
Afterwards, an elated Mr van Helden said the group had been forced to move quickly, as they’d only found out on 5th August that the crunch meeting was taking place on 14th August.
He added: “That didn’t give us much notice to prepare but fortunately David Morgan was available to attend as an expert speaker and we got the support out to the meeting, which made a huge impact.
“We will be celebrating on 30th August at our 51st pop up pub, weather permitting.
