Flats plan for village pub closed by rising costs
PLANS have been submitted to create four apartments in a disused Great Houghton pub, with rising costs and a lack of custom bleed for its closure.
The former Houghton Arms, in the High Street, is currently out of use and the plan is turn it into four one-bedroomed apartments.
The building is known locally as the ‘top club’ and is mainly of single storey construction, with a flat roof.
A planning document states that the building’s owners, and others, had “made numerous attempts to keep the club as an ongoing concern”.
However they say: “There area number of similar or alternative facilities within close proximity of the site that can readily cater for the community facilities that would be lost through the building’s redevelopment, the closure of this facility will aid in their survival.
“There have been a number of attempts to retain the pub as an ongoing concern but the use is no longer financially viable due to business rates, increase in energy bills, lack of customers and increase in beer prices and competition nearby that an alternative use of the building should be secured.”
A dozen neighbours in High Street and Woodlands View have been notified of the application, which has been made by a Doncaster company called Rhinos Ltd.
The premises has parking space for ten vehicles and it is proposed to retail all of those, if the redevelopment is allowed.
Plans show five existing flats in part of the building and the proposed four new flats would each have a lounge/dining area and separate bedroom.