Disappointingly, Bigbury Parish Council’s nomination of the Royal Oak pub as an Asset of Community Value has been unsuccessful despite the huge expression of support from the community for keeping the pub open. There is no right of appeal against the decision by South Hams District Council. The full SHDC report is available in the DOCUMENTS section of the STROP (Save the Royal Oak Pub) GROUP.
The three main arguments against accepting the nomination appear to be 1) the very strong objections of the owner’s planning consultant, on the grounds that it is unrealistic to think there will be a social use of the asset within the next 5 years due to unfavourable operating conditions 2) there is no identified community need for alternative community use of the building 3) the poor condition of the building which would need around £40,000 of repair work within the next year or so.
There will be a public meeting to discuss the implications of this decision on 26th February in the Memorial Hall at StAnn’s Chapel (see separate notice).
Recent Comments