We are very concerned by the increasing number of retrospective planning applications which have been submitted to Sheffield City Council.
The law is clear: to change the use of a building (‘a material change of use’) from that of a pub (use class ‘sui generis’) requires planning permission.
Recent local examples of such changes, without prior planning permission, include: the Big Gun, the Highcliffe Club, the Royal Oak (Mosborough) and the Royal Standard.Two of these examples have involved closing the pub, trashing the interior and, later, applying for retrospective planning permission.
The application for the Royal Standard is currently in progress whereas the application for the Big Gun was recently approved (‘Grant Conditionally,’ reference: 25/03230/FUL). On expiry of the lease, this pub closed in September 2023: the historic interior was gutted and, over two years later, planning permission has been obtained. This is despite flawed documentation, which included several errors. For example, the Big Gun was not ‘a former’ public house and its use class was not E(b). These, and other, errors should have invalidated this recent application.
At the time of closure, the Big Gun had many historical features. For example, the right-hand side of the snug had two bays of unique Victorian fixed seating with decorative bench ends that resembled a (acanthus) leaf. This heritage is lost forever.
For this, and other, retrospective applications, we would expect a rigorous reaction from the planning authorities: a response which makes it clear that this is potentially a serious breach of the law, not a simple administrative error: a response which clearly references Sheffield as one of the best beer cities in the world, a city which cares about its pubs!
Councillor Ben Miskell, chairman of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “Pubs and working men’s clubs are a vital part of our shared heritage and community life, and every effort needs to be made to keep them open for the benefit of the community they serve.
“In the incredibly unfortunate event of one closing, it is vitally important that the new owners follow the correct process when planning permission is required, breaking planning rules will lead to the council taking a robust approach and use all the powers available to us.
“We also work closely with residents across the city to protect valued community buildings from village shops and community centres to local pubs – including by registering them as Assets of Community Value. Developers must respect Sheffield’s heritage, including the importance of our public houses.”