Barley community ‘up in arms’ about application to turn Fox and Hounds pub into housing
Fox and Hounds pub in Barley may be turned into housing - Credit: Archant
More than 150 villagers have signed a petition to oppose an application to turn a pub that lies in the heart of Barley into housing.
Fox and Hounds pub in Barley may be turned into housing - Credit: Archant
The community has pulled together in opposition to the application to allow the Grade II-listed building – which until a year ago housed the once thriving Fox and Hounds pub – to be turned into two homes.
Barley Parish Council is ‘vigorously opposed’ to the application put forwards by Derbyshire-based consultants Paul Gaughan.
More than 100 people turned up to a public meeting held by the parish council earlier this month, and only one person said they did not object to the application.
Parish council chairman Jerry Carlisle said the turnout at the meeting shows the strength of feeling in the village about the application.
He said: “The parish council vigorously objects the application.
“It’s a landmark building, it’s been a pub for donkey’s years.
Most Read
- 1 Vehicles, greenhouse and fence 'smashed' in Royston
- 2 Former company boss fined after illegal waste dumped at quarry
- 3 Royston Bloomsday marks 100th anniversary of James Joyce's novel
- 4 Stansted Airport and Cambridge trains disrupted after tree falls on tracks
- 5 Artists open up in record numbers for Cambridge Open Studios 2022
- 6 A505 long delays between Royston and M11 motorway at Duxford
- 7 Royston Town happy to be a breeding ground if it helps their own progression
- 8 Pictures of Duxford Summer Air Show 2022 at IWM Duxford
- 9 IN PICTURES: A Cambridgeshire showcase at the inaugural County Day
- 10 Bank of England warns people have 100 days to use old £20 and £50 notes
“It’s a money making exercise. The applicant already has two houses on the site.
“There’s no justification for the change of use. Lots of people are writing in objection.
“We will be looking to make sure the application is dealt with by a committee.
“A pub is the social fabric of the village and the Fox and Hounds is in the heart of Barley.”
Nick White, who lives in the village, also expressed his opposition to the application. He said: “We don’t want to lose the amenity – it is a focal part of the village.
“The Chequers pub in the village is very successful and they have no problem with the competition.”
Fellow villager Stephen Marsh said the village is ‘up in arms’ about the application, adding: “The village can easily sustain two pubs. There’s definitely a market for it.”
In the statement submitted with the application, the developer said: “The site currently has little value as a community asset as its recent trading history would testify that other licensed premises in the vicinity are sufficient to satisfy local demand.”
People who wish to express their views on the application can comment by searching reference number 15/01892/1 on the planning section of the www.north-herts.gov.uk website.
