Village pub gets go-ahead to become home

Owners of a Teesdale pub have been given permission to convert it into a home.

Ivan Carter-Becker, the owner of the Bridge Inn, Whorlton, appealed to the planning inspectorate after being denied permission by Durham County Council to convert it into a house.

This week it has been confirmed that the appeal has been upheld.

The inspector appointed by the secretary of state, who didn’t make a site visit to Whorlton before ruling on the appeal, said claims that Whorlton Bridge’s closure contributed to the pub’s demise were overstated and unsupported by any evidence.

They added: “The appellant is losing rent, has had a listed period building to maintain and has sustained high costs associated with tenancy turnover for the last 20 years.

“Even if I agreed that the Bridge closure is directly responsible for the inability of the inn to operate as a viable business, it seems unrealistic to expect any business to weather that kind of loss over such a long period without wishing to pursue a new business plan.”

The inspector said they appreciated the local support for the pub and its importance in village life, but said it suffered profitability issues long before Whorlton Bridge closed.

Concluding the appeal, they added: “The inn is no longer viable as a public house.

“Notwithstanding the harm arising from the loss of some community and social value, as well as minor harm to the significance of designated heritage assets, that loss would be outweighed by the listed building’s continued upkeep and its future occupation as a residence.”

Durham County Council was ordered to pay costs to the developer.

The news came as a big blow to the Whorlton Community Benefit Society, which had hoped to buy the property and save it as a community pub.

The group had raised more than £200,000 in pledges that would have been used to purchase the vacant pub.