A PLAN to demolish the historic Ring o’ Bells pub at Stretton, Warrington and replace it with a new retail building, have been rejected by borough planning chiefs.
The scheme – put forward by A & J Thwaites Ltd, – would have involved demolishing the Northwich Road pub, which has been closed for about two years and building a retail store of similar size at the rear of the site.
Dating from around 1800, the pub was originally on the other side of the road and was known as the Crown Inn. The present building is thought to have been a barn at that time.
But it is in a dilapidated condition, riddled with dry and wet rot, and is considered impractical to repair. It was likely the roof would have to be completely replaced.
It closed in 2020, briefly re-opened as the Stretton Bar and Grill and then closed again in 2023, since when it has stood unused.
In 2016, the pub was designated an asset of community value, but it was removed from the list in 2021.
Planners were told the pub had struggled to remain viable in recent years. The highway authority objected to the new proposals because of inadequate parking provision and the likely impact on the local highway network and there were also objections from Stretton Parish Council and a number of local residents.
1 Comment
Please get your facts straight. The owner of the property is A & J Thwaites Ltd of which Alan Thwaites( a resident of Lower Stretton and a property developer) is the sole shareholder. The premises have been empty since
it was bought by the Company in August 2023. It is a 200 year old building which is an important part of
Lower Stretton’s heritage. Mr Thwaites and the Council need to ensure that the building is not allowed to
deteriorate further. By no stretch of the imagination is it presently in a condition where demolition is an option.
Unfortunately this story does not follow the usual pattern of local(s) saving the local pub. It was trading
perfectly satisfactorily until the sale. There were a number of bidders for the property who intended to keep
the pub open but they were outbid by A &J Thwaites.