Pub plan rejected by RMBC

Kirthica Kulenthiran applied to change the old Sportsman venue on Fitzwilliam Street at Swinton, with a two-storey extension at the side and rear.

There were five objections from residents, raising potential issues like road safety, parking problems and the permanent loss of the pub.

RMBC accepted the idea of converting the mock Tudor building to residential — but refused the plan for seven flats.

A spokesperson said: “The council considers that the proposed extension and conversion of the public house to seven units would represent overdevelopment of the site and this leads to restricted outlooks on the western and eastern elevations which would be well below the minimum recommended distance of 12 metres.

“This would result in poor living conditions for future occupiers, which would be exacerbated by the lack of any outdoor amenity area.”

An application to convert to two shops was withdrawn in 2020, the same year as the pub closed.

Last year, proposals to convert to a convenience store were refused on highways safety grounds.