East Sussex village pub can be replaced with flats despite strong opposition

In a decision issued on Tuesday (November 3), Wealden District Council planning officers have approved a Permission In Principle (PIP) application linked to the King’s Head in Lower Horsebridge.

Applicant Louisa May Ltd had been seeking approval to create between six and nine new dwellings on the site by converting the existing pub and erecting new properties.

The proposals had seen strong opposition from Hellingly Parish Council.

In a statement submitted in response to the application, a parish council spokesman said: “The development proposal at The King’s Head presents an unjustified loss of a vital community facility, conflicting with the sustainable development needs of an area experiencing unprecedented strategic housing growth, with approximately 300 to 700 new dwellings currently allocated or permitted in the immediate vicinity.

“While the applicant claims the commercial business is unviable, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that The King’s Head could not remain a viable going concern if marketed effectively at a realistic commercial value.”

As a PIP application, the exact form of redevelopment has not yet been established (although indicative plans show how the pub could be split into six dwellings, with three new houses in its car park).

More information would be expected to come forward as part of a subsequent step, known as a Technical Details (TD) application.

During this first stage of the process, the council’s considerations were limited to three things: the location, land use and the amount of development.

Council planning officers concluded the site was an acceptable location and could potentially accommodate the nine dwellings sought by the application.

The land use was a more complicated issue. Officers noted how national planning policies usually seek to resist the loss of community facilities, such as a public house.

These policies, officers said, mean such applications should usually be turned down unless: there is no reasonable prospect of the use being retained due to issues of commercial viability; the facility would be replaced by a better one; and/or there is sufficient alternative provision of the same type in the local area.

Officers said the applicant had argued the business was no longer viable, but they also said the evidence offered to support this conclusion was not considered to be robust enough.

But officers ultimately concluded that the presence of another public house in Lower Horsebridge – The White Hart — meant the loss of the community facility would be acceptable.

In a report setting out this decision, a council planning spokesman said: “[The White Hart] is a smaller venue but provides alternative provision of a public house with [a] function room that the local community can use.

“On balance, it is considered that due to the presence of another public house in Lower Horsebridge, the proposed change of use/development of the King’s Head would not diminish access to key community facilities.”

In light of this view, the PIP application was approved.

For further information see application reference WD/2026/1928/PIP on the Wealden District Council website.