Homes plan for recently reopened Riverside refused

A former owner’s application to turn a now reopened Surfleet pub into flats has been refused in a move welcomed after a similar plan was revealed for another establishment in the village. 

As previously reported, The Riverside on Station Hotel has been taken over by Amar Odera and is back operating, but only after previous owner Mr Bond had submitted the application to turn it into seven flats.

A decision on that was deferred by South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee amid flooding concerns regarding a planned flat in the cellar of the building

Despite planning officers asking Mr Bond if he’d like to withdraw the application, it came back before the committee last night (Wednesday) for just six flats, without one in the basement.

This time the application was recommended for refusal as the argument the owner couldn’t find a buyer to operate as a financially going concern had changed.

Some councillors argued that the application should go through as the flood risk had been removed and it would give the new owners the option to turn it into flats.

But councillors voted in favour of refusal after planning officer Phil Norman stated that while one box had been ticked to go-ahead with the application in terms of mitigating the risk of flooding, another box had been ‘unticked’ as a buyer had been found.

Committee chair and ward councillor James Avery said: “I did support the previous application largely as it was a good application apart from the flood issue and it was the only offer on the table with the business having seemed to be closed and not have a buyer.

“Until COVID came along, Surfleet had a number of establishments.

“Now The Mermaid is closed and up for sale. The Crown is open on an occasional basis. “Effectively we’ve had the number of establishments in Surfleet essentially, so I think it’s a very good thing that somebody has taken this on as a going concern.

“For me it trumps this planning application.”

A planning application has been submitted to turn The Mermaid into five flats and build three more homes on the land surrounding it.