Disappointment at failure of Aldingbourne pub listing bid

The Council had applied to Historic England, the Government body which runs the listing system, for the Prince of Wales pub in Woodgate to be listed for its ‘special historic interest’. The pub was closed down by its owners, Greene King, in November and has not reopened. Because it sits in the middle of three sites earmarked for housing development, the Parish Council fears it may be sold off to developers and demolished.

The basis of the Parish Council’s application to Historic England was the important part the Prince of Wales played in the early development of rail travel in the parish. When the rail line was built in 1846, the station serving Bognor - then a highly fashionable and sought-after bathing resort - was in fact three miles from the town, at Woodgate in the south of Aldingbourne parish. The pub was built four years later to provide refreshment for passengers for Bognor, who had to alight at Woodgate and make the rest of their journey to the coast by horse-drawn omnibus.

However, Historic England has now turned down the bid, saying that the pub does not meet the Government’s criteria for listing.

Aldingbourne Parish Council Planning Committee Chair Cllr Sue Foott commented:

“We’re disappointed our application to try to protect the Prince of Wales has not succeeded - we share local residents’ concerns it may be sold off for development, despite it being the last remaining pub in the parish.

“The Prince of Wales was for many years a much-loved and well-supported part of the community, and we think it can be again in the future. We will continue to try on behalf of residents to find out what its owners plan to do with it, and to keep local people informed”.