THE latest plans to build housing on the former car park of a public house were rejected by Cornwall Councillors on Monday — despite the planning officer recommending that the application be approved.

The meeting of Cornwall Council’s east sub area planning committee at Bodmin heard it was the fourth time councillors had considered plans to build housing on the former car park of the Bullers Arms Hotel, Marhamchurch.

The latest application lodged was for five new houses and one commercial unit, together with the demolition of both the car park stores and rear corner lobby area of the Bullers Arms.

A large number of local residents and pub patrons attended Monday’s meeting to hear debate on the application and packed out the room, requiring the need for some extra seating to be brought in. Some had brought banners declaring statements such as ‘our village pub needs a car park’ — signage had to be left outside the room while the meeting was underway.

The application had most recently been considered by the council in April, when councillors voted to defer making a decision, instead waiting for further information ‘outlining viability figures and how the removal of the car park would have a detrimental impact on the pub’.

However, the meeting heard there had been an informal meeting regarding the planning application last month, chaired by planning committee chairman Cllr Andrew Long.

The meeting heard the car park, under separate ownership, has been unavailable to patrons of the Bullers Arms for some time. Planning case officer John Rudge, in reference to information received since the application was deferred, said: “It shows that despite some increase in costs in 2015, when the current management didn’t have a car park gross profits increased.”

Documents presented to the planning committee by Mr Rudge stated: “This suggests that to date the viability of the pub has not been significantly degraded by the ongoing loss of the car park.”

Mr Rudge added: “It is considered there is on-street parking to compensate.”

Walter Wonnacott, of Peter Wonnacott Planning, agent for the planning application, said: “The former car park is no longer available to the Bullers and this application doesn’t change that fact. The financial information doesn’t show lack of a dedicated car park is harming the viability [of the pub].”

Cllr Daniel Pugh said: “The car park is in separate ownership. The guy who owns it can do whatever he wants with it as far as I’m concerned.” Cllr Derek Holley said he could not ‘see a good planning reason for refusal’.

In objection to the planning application, Ray Hockin, chairman of Marhamchurch Parish Council, told the meeting: “We are still of the opinion this site is not appropriate for development in the centre of the village, in a conservation area.

“If approved a former vital asset to this village will be lost forever. I would urge you to consider the concerns of villagers that wish to retain what they see as a vital asset to the village, and has been for many years.”

Cllr Hockin was asked what the parish council and community would think if the car park was as it is now in 10 years’ time. Mr Hockin replied: “You mean unavailable and fenced off as it is now? It would be very disappointing.”

John Milverton, who spoke to the meeting in objection to the application, said he felt the application ‘should be a straight refusal’, adding: “Please refuse this harmful development.”

Also in objection to the application was Cornwall Councillor for the area, Liberal Democrat Nicky Chopak, who expressed disappointment that ‘a financial expert had not been asked to review the financial information provided’. The meeting had heard from both Cllr Chopak and Mr Milverton that an offer was made to buy the car park land from the owner, but that the owner said the land was worth around £290,000 more than the figure offered.

Cllr Chopak asked the committee to refuse the application, suggesting then ‘the land can be purchased at a sensible price’.

She added: “Should you refuse no doubt the applicant will appeal but then the inspector will be able to explore all the issues of this contentious application.”

Cornwall Council’s legal officer present at the meeting said as the car park is in separate ownership, there is nothing to say it will be available in the future for use by pub patrons.

Cllr Derris Watson queried ‘living conditions’ in the proposed residential dwellings, but case officer Mr Rudge said the Environmental Health team had been consulted on the application, and with respect to noise, ‘the impact on the first residential unit [closest to the Bullers Arms] is acceptable’.

Cllr Chris Batters, Liberal Democrat member for Lanivet and Blisland, expressed concern the windows of the pub’s function room would be looking on to the rear of the proposed dwellings.

Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for Bude, David Parsons, said: “There is an awful lot of opinions and contradictory evidence and interpretation of contradictory evidence,” but he said it was factual that a paragraph in the National Planning Policy Framework ‘promotes the retention and development of local services in villages… such as public houses’, and that the land ‘was historically the car park of the Bullers Arms’. “Those are two facts you can’t get away from,” he added.

“If you grant this application you will affect the viability of this pub.”

Cllr Batters agreed: “One of the biggest incomes [of the Bullers Arms] I would have thought is use of their function room. If you are going to be looking out at a brick wall that’s going to be detrimental to the income of that function room and cause serious damage to the viability of the Bullers Arms.”

Cllr Stephanie McWilliam said: “For me the crucial point is if you build on it, it can never be a car park again, either for the pub or community for any other reason.”

Conservative Cornwall Councillor for Altarnun Vivian Hall said: “We must support out rural communities in North Cornwall. Keeping these assets going is essential if we want them to be a sustainable community.”

Chairman Cllr Long supported refusal of the application, but expressed his thanks to the planning officer Mr Rudge, stating it had been ‘an incredibly difficult application to deal with’. Cllr Long said: “Ownership of an application site is not material. Ownership changed some few years ago but its use under planning consent was still for a public house car park. There hasn’t been evidence to me that [the Bullers Arms] wouldn’t be adversely affected [if the application was approved]. I don’t believe the applicant or agent has proven that.”

The application was refused by 12 votes to two, on the basis approval of the application ‘would permanently hard the continued viability of the Bullers Arms’.

Applicant Stephen Rudman, who attended the meeting, did not say if he would be appealing the decision.

Bullers Arms landlady Nikki Unger said after the meeting: “I’m delighted with the decision and overwhelmed by the continued support from the villagers of Marhamchurch.

“The residents along with the Marhamchurch Conservation Group have been battling against houses on the car park since before I bought the pub and it’s their continued dedication to opposing this development that has secured this result.”

Cornwall Council has also previously refused plans seeking to build seven homes on the former pub car park. A subsequent appeal was dismissed last year by a government planning inspector.