Residents have launched a petition to save a historic pub in a village near Nantwich.
Plans have been submitted to turn The Nags Head in Haughton, a 17th Century Grade II listed pub, into residential properties.
Owners said the pub, which had to close in December 2019, could not attract enough customers and they have been unable to sell it as a business.
Now planning applications have been submitted to Cheshire East Council to convert the pub into two houses dwellings.
Plans would also see the pub’s grounds and bowling green developed into a number of other residential properties.
But a campaign group “Save The Nags Head Pub” has been set up to fight the plans.
A spokesperson for the group said: “This has come as a very unwelcome surprise to the community.
“The pub has for hundreds of years been a thriving public house, welcoming and serving both the local community and its surrounding areas and has been the very heart and soul of our village life and community spirit.
“It is the last surviving community asset and has provided an important hub for both social purposes as well as a meeting place for our Parish Council and the committees of many other local organisations.
“The pub has been host to countless memorable village events and has been a tremendous source of enjoyment to its community and to many from further afield.
“Losing this wonderful asset would be a tragedy.
“Whilst we are in the midst of a global pandemic which is having a devastating effect on the hospitality industry, our pub has survived world wars and various economic crises.
“We owe it to future generations to protect our heritage and look beyond the short term to protect the long term survival of such valuable community assets.”
Fliers have been posted around the area and a petition has been set up.
The pub was previously shut for two years between 2016 and 2018 after previous owners Ribble Valley Inn group were unable to make it profitable.
It was purchased in 2018 by locally-based Piste Group who have similar premises in Tarporley and Sandbach.
It began trading again in January 2019, but in the planning report it states: “The footfall never returned and despite a significant investment in terms of marketing they took the difficult decision after 12 months to close the doors in December 2019.”
Members of the public have until November 18 to submit comments on the plans, which can be found on CEC planning portal here.
The petition has more than 400 signatures. It can be accessed here.
(Image under creative commons courtesy of John Swan)
Indeed, funny how you can get 700 folk to sign a petition, yet each and everyone of those failed to support the venture or it would not have failed.
700 can easily voice objection but they have not put forward a solution have they?
why not form a company to buy shares to save the pub, extend the use from just a bar and eatery, (as clearly that is not enough revenue) and add extra value to the community by means of a village shop/bakery/deli/child care/hairdresser/elderly clubs/tourist accommodation/riding school, the list is endless. Just don’t come to me with your petitions when clearly you are clueless. Every empty pub cannot just go meekly to housing, its about time folk faced up to reality, and thought outside the box
OK It looks nice, but how many of the villagers actually used this place on a regular basis? I mean the “Village” is just a pretty commuter place in the country. If you choose to NOT support your local business’ they will fold. So who’s fault is it?
Should be a listed building. Travesty if it goes.
It is listed and the proposal is to split it into two properties
Here we go again. If all of the 400 people who signed the petition used the pub on a reasonably regular basis, then it might be sustainable as a business. We have been here before with The Star, Jolly Tar, Davenport Arms, Headless Woman etc etc.
Rather see the site sensitively redeveloped as opposed it lying empty.
Totally agree with you Stuart. Where were they all when the pub was open.
Losing too many of our character buildings and businesses to so-called developers. A Cooperative purchase by the village is one answer, another is for Cheshire East is to refuse developers’ permission to change it’ into residential property. While being run as a pub, could it be used during the day for other purposes? Do you have a village shop? do you have a chippy? do you have a village hall? Is the bowling green paying for itself? If not turn it into a Caravan Park for holidaymakers. JUST a THOUGHT.