Villagers against plan to turn only pub into homes

The only pub in a village could be converted into houses, despite plans by the community to rescue it.

The owner of 17th Century Grade II listed pub, the George and Dragon in Erlestoke, near Devizes, has submitted plans to turn it into five homes.

The inn, which previously closed in 2015, was bought by Chaffinch Pub Company in 2020 but attempts to turn the business around have been unsuccessful. It was listed by Wiltshire Council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in 2020.

Keith Lewcock, chairman of community group Erlestoke Hub Ltd, said there was a lot of support throughout the village of Erlestoke "to see the pub retained as a pub".

Wiltshire Parish Council said plans by Chaffinch Pub Company to build a pub garden were turned down over fears visitors would cause congestion by parking on the road by the inn and they said the listed status of the building, challenging market conditions and construction costs were also a problem.

With its ACV status, the pub was put back on the market in 2023 and offered to community group Erlestoke Hub Ltd.

However, the group told planners the price was "too high", as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

They also said the failure of the business was due to "poor management, high rental costs and a failure to use the four roomed stable block as tourist accommodation".

Hub chairman Keith Lewcock said: "The Erlestoke Hub, a community benefit society, objects, very strongly, to the change of use of the George and Dragon public house to dwelling houses."

However, the applicants said the conversion would not affect the outside appearance of the property and would protect the listed building from falling into disrepair, while addressing the housing needs locally.

They want to create two one-bed and one two-bed homes from the main building, and create two one-bedroom units in the pub's stable block.

A previous planning application was turned down in 2015 when Wiltshire Council planners said the closure of the village's only pub would be a loss to the community.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.