Halfway House pub, Wyke, Bradford
Outline application for the demolition of a pub to make way for a vehicle service yard:
The Halfway House pub managed to reopen again after Covid-19 lockdowns and was serving the local community well until quite recently at which point the pub suddenly closed, presumably to create a vacant asset ripe for a demolition application.
Clearly a pub in this location is viable, and its demolition would represent the loss of a vital community facility, further eroding the social capital of this already struggling old mill town. Pubs close and reopen all the time. To have been shuttered for 12 months is no indication that it is redundant.
Particularly concerning would be the building’s replacement with a tarmac hardstanding and industrial utility for car repairs and cleaning. This is town centre street, which is characterised by dense built form and elevations facing the road. A mechanics workshop would see a large hole cut out of the urban fabric of central Wyke.
The fact this in an outline application to test the water suggests the applicant knows that this is folly. I hope the Council agree.
An image of the pub from 1908 shows how the pub contributes to the attractive townscape of Wyke.
The Beehive Inn, Salford
A community owned pub in Salford to be bulldozed:
This pub, themed on the iconic Manchester Bee (albeit in Salford) was saved from conservation to flats in 2016 by a Norwegian Manchester City fan.
Described by the Salford Star as the last pub in the area, its loss would resonate through this beleaguered community. ‘This community needs this pub, there needs to be something for the community, you can’t take everything away from it’ one resident commented when the pub faced closure in 2016.
Closed in march and quickly sold to a developer, there is no evidence to demonstrate the lack of demand for a pub here. Quite the opposite in fact.
I hope the planning officers engages the full arm of planning policy, now that the demolition of pubs have been removed from the general permitted development order – with good reason.
The pub shown in red, was once surrounded by industry and housing, but now is within a desolate urban edge
The Brewers Arms, Ladybarn, Manchester
Suburban pub in south Manchester to be demolished for 3 houses:
Closed since late 2019 and yet to reopen following Covid, the pub is up for demolition with the developer arguing that the windows would be inadequate for residential conservation. I don’t see it myself.
The only pub in Ladybarn, this charming building with an unmatching gable pair would render this area of the City without a local. Once unheard of, swathes of residential suburbs are losing their local hubs, be it shops, pubs, or banks. Houses and Lidls are the future it would seem.
Amazingly, this street is just around the corner from a student area. Students still drink occasionally don’t they?
The last social media post suggests the pub closed because the landlord left for an adventure. No evidence to suggest that a pub is not viable here. Its another example of a brewery cashing in on their assets for a quick balancing of the books after a tough year.
George Hotel, Hull
Pub to be lost just down the road from the KC stadium in Hull:
This late Victorian Pub has been subject to arson in the l last few years, leaving it bereft of a functioning roof. Its location, near the football stadium, would see a decent footfall here if properly enticed as there is no doubt about a demand for pints in this location.
Left redundant since 2016, the pub has been inevitably been vandalised and set ablaze. A few years ago the demolition would not have required planning permission, so it is good to see a full application subject to the Conservation Officer’s consideration come in. Unfortunately the building is now a hazard and the demolition is likely to be given the go ahead.
The first of many pubs to be flattened this month…
Wybourn Hotel, Sheffield
Pub to make way for a car wash:
Its been a quiet few months in demolition terms, which is good news for Yorkshire’s built heritage.
Sadly this month sees a charming pub in Sheffield up for the chop to make way for a concrete hardstanding that would be a car wash.
This pub is just down the road from the iconic Park Hill, which is now a thriving residence of bright young things. But they don’t seem to go to the pub. To my knowledge, there is no other drinkery for miles. The thousands of houses in Wybourne will no longer have a local.
The Council could resist this, as it would be a change of use and intensify the vehicle egress onto the highway. At that point im sure a number of uses would come forward that would result in the retention of the building. And in years to come maybe the residents of Park Hill will decide to be more sociable.
Nelson Inn, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury
Pub in South Dewsbury demolished: www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/planning-applications/search-for-planning-applications/detail.aspx?id=2022/92094
The Nelson Inn, having been closed for around a year has been demolished unlawfully by accounts from the local residents. This is strange, as the propsed plans do not show any alterations to the building, just its conversion to an Islamic learning centre and prayer room.
The applicant states that they will rebuild like for like, but I anticipate a few minor amendments coming in, or even an alternative scheme one the the principle of development is approved.
I cant think why any religeous institution would wish to invest in a building that resembles a Victorian pub. I’ll be keeping my eye on this one.
Woodman Inn, Todmorden
Long since derelict pub to be dropped for 6 houses near Todmorden, Calderdale:
Looking back through Google Street View, this pub hasn’t been in use for a very long time. And it’s clear why. The area lost its mill, and much of the housing around this area has been demolished, as can be seen from the historic map below from circa 1900.
Planning permission for its conservation into flats was refused back in 2009, which would have been a much better option, but alas it is in Green Belt. Going even further back, in 2000 the conversion was approved. Frustrating planning inconsistency.
This fantastic website (www.halifaxpeople.com) has some interesting old images of the pub in a more prosperous time, in which it was part of a nascent village. It would seem the neighboring terraces were demolished to allow for the pub car park. It also looks like the tall chimneys have been removed. Sad to see not just the pub go, but a mill and it’s contingent community over a protracted century of decline.
*I have used images from their site for not profitable purposes
The Bird In Hand, Garforth
Estate pub to be pulled down for housing:
This 20th-century pub lies at the heart of a housing estate, and was envisaged as a hub in this suburban extension to Garforth. Its not a particulary historic pub, or of any architectural merit, but nonetheless, the monotony of cul-de-sacs and dormer bungalows benefits from a public building tieing everything together.
And it’s always worth a moment to lament when an English pub is erased to make way for some drab housing.
Red House Pub, Bradford
Another pub to be removed from Bradford:
Not the prettiest of drinkeries, but it’s what’s inside that counts. And under that pebbledash exterior is a beautiful masonry end-terrace. Bradford loses a pub a month, and in my opinion each one worth lamenting. A tiny bit more of the Victorian city lost forever.
Some of the original stonework remains exposed at the base of the building
Railway Inn, Irlam, Salford
Beautiful pub to be demolished for 10 flats:
A quiet month in Yorkshire on the demolition front has allowed me to explore the other side of the Pennines this month, beginning in Salford; a Local Authority that seems to have a penchant for erasing its history, whilst being beguiled by a vague notion of regeneration.
This lovely High Street pub has been closed since 2016, and was due to be converted into a daycare center, preserving the building.
Sold via auction for £200k in 2019, the new owner sought a higher return and put in an application for a three-story building, which was rightly refused.
The new application shows a similar-sized building albeit with a pitched roof, but equally dominant in the otherwise domestic scale street.
The building has been described as derelict and vandalised, which is seemingly how all buildings are described after being momentarily vacant in developer rhetoric.
The pub offers an important contribution to this street, which is one of the few remaining high streets of the towns in Greater Manchester that remains entirely Victorian/Edwardian.
As the building has recently been shown to be viable for business use, Salford should recognise the value in its retention. This is a high street, and a commercial use should be favoured over residential flats.
The Demolition Register 