‘Save our village pub’ plea from Evenwood councillors

THE owner of a village pub should abandon his plans to turn it into apartments and instead give the business another shot, say councillors.
The Trotters Arms, in Ramshaw, has been empty since last year and owner Billy Cunningham wants to transform it into three flats and build four homes on the car park.
The family, who own the nearby Cragwood Leisure Park, turned Ramshaw’s other pub, The Bridge Inn, into a steakhouse and bar last month.
The application for The Trotters has provoked the ire of Evenwood and Barony Parish Council, which has called for greater efforts to re-establish the village’s last traditional pub. The parish council chairwoman, Cllr Barbara Nicholson, said: “They have turned The Bridge Inn into a steakhouse and if he really wants to ingratiate himself to the community, why doesn’t he open the pub back to how it used to be?
“Open it up and see how it goes for a couple of years. It’s a shame that we are going to lose it.”
A number of inns have gone in the Evenwood area in recent years including The White Swan and The Brown Jug. The Dog and Gun, in Etherley, and The Otter Hotel, in Bildershaw Bank, have also been lost.
At this month’s parish council meeting, it was claimed that the Trotters Arms had been left empty because the rent had been advertised too high.
Councillors said people in Ramshaw had once hoped to take it over and run it as a community pub but were put off by a surveyor’s report.
Evenwood council complained that there were already homes standing empty in Ramshaw and saw no reason for others to be built until these were filled.
Parish councillors are also worried about whether building homes on the land would be safe due to the area’s mining heritage. It was claimed an airshaft ran underneath the proposed site.
Parish clerk Martin Clark, said a report would be submitted by the Coal Authority to Durham County Council, which would make the decision on Mr Cunningham’s housing scheme.
County councillor Heather Smith, who attended the parish meeting, said: “It’s extremely likely that the Coal Authority will object to this planning application due to the instability of the ground.”
The meeting heard that some residents were worried about writing an objection letter to the county planning department.
However, Cllr Smith said if that was the case, they could do so through her. She hopes to visit those believed to be concerned about the development in the coming days.
The planning agent Eric Tweddle, on behalf of Mr Cunningham, said he was not aware of any problem with mining heritage but any issues would be addressed and flagged up through surveys.
Mr Tweddle added: “My client bought the pub and it was turned into an Indian restaurant for a while but that didn’t work either.
“They have explored other avenues but they haven’t worked so he is looking at this option."