Plans to build houses the site of a "landmark" pub have been knocked back by the council.
Hooton Hotel Development Ltd proposed a bid to build 13 properties on the site of the historic Hooton Hotel on Hooton Road, near Ellesmere Port. The pub closed in 2018 and failed to sell at auction, but plans to demolish the building and replace it with housing have been rejected by Cheshire West and Chester Council.
The plans had been amended to reduce the number of new homes down from 18 to 13, including four apartments and eight detached properties, with a further house attached to the apartments. There were 25 objections to the scheme from members of the public, with objections made on various grounds including a lack of infrastructure to support more homes, the site being on green belt, traffic concerns and the fact that the building was a local "landmark".
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Only one member of the public supported the plans, commenting that the site had become an "eyesore" and the new homes would be useful. A report by Cheshire West and Chester Council said that the proposed housing development "would have a clear and demonstrable effect on the openness of the green belt".
It also went on to say that the application "looks to demolish a public house and as such would result in the loss of a community facility". In terms of the environmental impact of the proposals, the report states: "The site is located within the green belt and by virtue of the spread and form of development, the spatial and visual effects of the scheme would result in a loss of openness. This inappropriate development is not outweighed by very special circumstances."
It was also noted that "the building supported roosts of three different species" of bats, including brown long-eared bats and Pippistrelles, and Great Crested Newts were also nearby. The newts are protected under legislation including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with three ponds located within 250m of the site.
In refusing the application, the council report stated: "In conclusion, the proposal is considered to result in limited economic and social benefits which would both be realised on policy compliant schemes. In light of the form and type of development proposed, and the application site being located outside an area identified for residential growth and within the Green Belt, lead to environmental impacts that weigh against the proposal.
"As such, there are not found to be material considerations of sufficient weight to outweigh the conflict with an up to date development plan."
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