- TP Editorial Team
Go ahead given for extensions to The Durham Ox in Shrewley
Permission has been granted for extensions to The Durham Ox, Shrewley, following detailed submissions made by Tyler Parkes on behalf of Mr. Adrian Harvey of Suburban Inns.
Mr. Harvey recently acquired the Durham Ox, a failing country pub, and wanted to extend, invest and greatly improve the pub restaurant offer so to secure the pub’s future. A first planning application was withdrawn after the Warwick Planning Officer’s advice that the proposed extensions were too big. The pub sits in the Green Belt and the planning policies for new development, including extensions to pubs, are very restrictive.
Mr. Harvey asked us to get involved and provide specialist planning advice, once it appeared that his second planning application was heading for refusal.
The Planners felt as the pub had already been extended, the amount proposed by the latest application was too much and would be harmful to the green belt. The Planning Officer’s report to Committee recommended refusal, despite strong local support from the parish council and local councillor. At the Planning Committee, we managed to persuade the committee they should look at this again and the planning application was deferred to allow us to put the case for the pub extensions on the basis of ‘very special circumstances’.
This allowed us on behalf of the applicant to provide the Council with detailed information, including the business plan and viability information and some further detailed negotiations. Happily, the Planners were suitably convinced that the proposed extensions and alterations were so important to secure the future of this pub business, that planning permission has now been granted for this Green Belt site. And to that we say cheers!