Developers have said it now seems unlikely that the White Hart pub on London Road in Calne will ever be a pub again, as a decision is imminent on a change of use application to develop the building into four more residential dwellings.
In January 2023, Calne News reported that developers, Beam Contractors, had been unable to find anyone willing to take on the pub despite marketing, due to 'the lack of recent trading history, and the prevailing market headwinds of inflation, energy prices and impending recession'. This was despite the developers offers to carry out many refurbishment works free of charge.
Beam Contracting has since completed redevelopment work on the Grade II listed building's hotel wings and outbuilding, creating a gated development of 8 houses - these are currently being marketed by Butfield Breach. The oringinal plan had been to keep the historic pub alongside the homes but with no-one seemingly willing to take on the pub, an application was submitted to Wiltshire Council to convert the area into a further four homes.
Project Director Steve Hawes told us: "The eight properties already created by this development are complete being actively marketed via Butfield Breach. A couple of them are already sold (subject to contract).
"We have been trying to find a buyer and/or leaseholder for the retained public house for over two years now, however unfortunately it no longer seems to be viable as an ongoing business. A local community group and one other individual did come close to making an offer around a year ago, but it appears that they couldn’t make the business case work either. The pub last traded in 2018, and the hospitality industry has subsequently been hit by major shocks including a global pandemic, volatile energy prices, rampant inflation and the cost of living crisis."
The decision deadline for the planning application to turn the building into flats, is due on 22nd March 2024, however, developers are still hopeful they might find someone willing to take on the pub before it is too late.
Steve added "We would still be open to any viable offer on the pub, however in parallel we have also been progressing with a planning application to convert it into a further four apartments. Discussion with the planning officer has been positive and we are expecting a decision to be published in the next few weeks. The works involved to turn the pub into four more apartments are almost entirely internal changes, which should minimise disruption to the local community, and allow the public-facing sides of the building to retain their historic frontage. We would expect those conversion works to be completed within about nine months of an approved planning decision."
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