A POPULAR pub will be staying in Ampney St Peter after inspectors dismissed a planning appeal.

Cotswold District Council (CDC) refused an application in April to turn the Red Lion pub, which has stood empty since 2014, into a house. 

An appeal to that refusal was dismissed by Inspector H Porter on November 8.

It was estimated earlier this year that the property would sell for £350,000 as a pub and £600,000 as a home.

The district council’s planning committee refused the change of use on the grounds that it would be a loss of a community asset and that there was no evidence that a pub would not be viable in the village.

In a report of the decision, Inspector H Porter said: "While there has been no offer from the community to take on the Red Lion, this does not preclude its value as a community facility."

Despite the fact that a case officer in April pointed out that there were other pubs in the area, Inspector Porter said: "No other public house exists in Ampney St Peter, the closest alternatives located in neighbouring villages of Ampney Crucis and Poulton."

The report continued: "Representations by local residents who support the appeal still attest to the fact that, until its closure, the Red Lion was a unique, popular and well-loved drinking establishment.

"The level of public interest in this particular case and the local representations made, even in support of the appeal, indicate The Red Lion was, and therefore could become again, of local value.

"Since its closure, the Red Lion has not actively formed part of the life of the community. However, in the absence of any suitable alternative in the settlement, the change of use would result in a permanent loss of a valued community facility.

"Irrespective of whether the declining customer base and restricted opening times were a reflection of changing drinking habits, it is unclear whether the previous landlord sought to increase the business’s potential."

They added that "it has not been unequivocally demonstrated that the public house could not be viable in the future."