Permission granted to change former Grantham pub the Springfield Arms into apartments

Permission to turn a former Grantham town centre pub into six apartments has been granted, despite parking concerns.

Plans to convert the old Springfield Arms building into housing has been approved by South Kesteven District Council’s planning committee.

The Springfield Arms, which sits on the junction of Springfield Road and Huntingtower Road, has been closed since 2020.

Three of the flats would be on the ground floor, with two on the first floor and one in the attic. There will also be a shared garden area and a secure cycle shed.

Councillors raised concerns over the density of the apartments, and how the development could add to the existing parking issues and congestion on nearby roads.

Four new car parking spaces will be added to the site as part of the plans, with Lincolnshire County Council highways not raising any objections over the increased parking demand.

They said: “This proposal includes four spaces, and whilst it is possible that the development may result in more parking demand than these spaces, there is parking available on the highway in the vicinity, and it is therefore not considered that this proposal would result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety.”

Some members of the planning committee disagreed with these comments, with Councillor Tim Harrison (St Wulfram’s, Ind) saying that he was “not happy” with LCC’s decision.

Councillor Penny Milnes (Loveden Heath, Ind), said that it was “extremely difficult to park there” and explained that people often need their cars to get to work, with buses not always taking you in the right direction.

The density of the apartments was also questioned by the committee, including vice chair Councillor Charmaine Morgan (St Vincent’s, Ind), who said that “we seem to be squeezing in a number of apartments into the property.”

Coun Harrison agreed. He added: “The properties are passing the regulations, but that doesn’t mean its right. We’re cramming them in there.”

There were also concerns over the loss of a community space, but it was accepted that trends had changed.

SKDC officers confirmed that they were “satisfied that it’s gone through a robust process” to confirm that the building is not viable as a pub at this stage, having been marketed for 18 months.

Coun Morgan did note her "delight” that the external appearance of the former pub will be retained.

A separate planning application to convert the pub into six new apartments from back in 2022 was previously withdrawn.

The pub was run by Bob and Liz Taylor.

Bob ran the pub while still in his 70s before giving it up following a career in the pub trade since the age of 14.

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