AN award-winning dale pub will be turned into a house, if planners agree.
The owner of The Strathmore Arms, in Holwick, says the business is no longer viable. Plans have been submitted to turn the pub and restaurant, which closed in lockdown, into a dwelling.
The Strathmore Arms has won a number of awards for its range of real cider. Most recently, it won Country Cider Pub of the Year award from real ale group Camra.
But GAC Planning and Design, on behalf of owner Ivan Carter-Becker, said in a statement: “The remote location of Holwick presents significant challenges for operating a pub due to the reliance on vehicles. The proximity to various walks and cycle routes have provided a seasonal trade over the years. However, the limited number of dwellings within the vicinity means that there are significant challenges in obtaining a regular local trade at a level which can sustain the business.
“Given the pub’s remote location, it is not considered to be a community facility.”
The pub has been on the market since February with a price reduction in July. But no reasonable bids have been tabled, said the agents. Mr Carter-Becker submitted a “viability statement” to Durham County Council.
GAC Planning and Design said: “This clearly shows that The Strathmore Arms has proven, over a significant period of time, to be unviable as a business.”
The agents said that drink-driving and smoking legislation has had an impact on premises with a previously strong “wet offering” .
The statement added that between 2014 and 2018 the pub’s return falls well below the living wage for a publican of about £33,000 a year when adjusted for inflation. This figure was established by the Brooker vs Unique Pub Properties case in 2001, GAC Planning and Design said.
“These figures become particularly stark when assessed against the reality that the return at The Strathmore has been for two people rather than a single publican and with the operators working 60-hour weeks,” the statement said.
The building was the most northerly pub in the old North Riding of Yorkshire.
