Locals' fury over pub appeal (From Free Press Series)

Locals' fury over pub appeal

RESIDENTS of a Monmouthshire village are demanding a public inquiry following a landlord's appeal against a decision not to allow him to convert his pub into a house.

Villagers in Llanfapley, near Abergavenny, formed the Red Hart Supporters Group after landlord James Sharp decided to close the village pub in October 2002.

There is not another pub within five miles of the village.

Geoff Burrows, chair of the Red Hart Hart Supporters Group, told the Free Press that since the pub had closed its doors the community lacked opportunities to socialise.

He said: "When we get together now we have much more to talk about because we hardly ever get to see each other.

"And when we do it has to be at organised formal social events."

Last year, Mr Sharp applied to Monmouthshire council to convert the pub into a private house, but his application was denied in January this year.

Now he has lodged an appeal against the decision with the National Assembly, and villagers say they are poised to fight him all the way.

Mr Burrows said they had expected the appeal.

He said: "We will be demanding that the appeal goes to a full public inquiry, anything less is just not acceptable.

"We will be making full representations to any inquiry and are confident of our case. We see the Red Hart case as an icon for rural public house closures across the country."

George Ashworth, head of Monmouthshire council's planning division confirmed Mr Sharp had lodged an appeal.

He said: "The decision will now have to made as to whether the appeal should take the form of written representations or a full public inquiry.

"When there is a high level of public interest in a case the tendency would be have a public inquiry."