Landlord of Bell Inn in Weston Hills feels ‘trapped’ and unable to sell up

A landlord says he feels 'trapped’ after being unable to sell a village pub and being told by planners that it cannot be converted into a home.

David and Kathleen Filby want to embark on a well-earned retirement after spending 16 years behind the bar of The Bell Inn, Weston Hills.

The couple say they have been trying to sell the Austendike Road pub for about five years without success and fear that business will not be viable next year once their current electricity tariff runs out.

And Mr Filby says that he cannot sell it as a residential property after being told in pre-planning application advice that a change of use bid would not succeed.

He said: “We are trying to sell. We have had the pub on and off the market for five to six years and we have had maybe one visit.

“We can’t sell it as residential as the pub is classified as the only village amenity. We have asked the council if we can (change the use) and they have said no.

“We do feel trapped.

“It is quite a big place with only me and my wife living in it. If we can’t sell it as a pub and they won’t let us change the use to residential.”

Energy bills are another problem facing the pub. Mr Filby says the pub’s current energy tariff will be changing next year.

He said: “I am not looking forward to that at all as if the electricity goes up massively, we would be shut.

“If the bill is double or treble then we wouldn’t be able to afford to keep it open.”

Mr Filby says he has enjoyed his time behind the bar and bantering with the people who come in.

But like many pubs, The Bell has struggled as a result of the pandemic with Mr Filby saying that trade has dropped by 20%.

He said: “If people want to keep pubs open they have to start using them a bit more. It is simple – use them or otherwise they are going to disappear.”

Coun Henry Bingham, the district council's portfolio holder for assets and strategic planning, said: “The council’s planning team is always happy to provide pre-application advice to potential applicants, which is given in good faith and designed to help residents to submit the correct and relevant information within their applications.

“Pre-application advice is not binding and it is the decision of a prospective applicant whether to submit a formal planning application thereafter, which will be decided upon by officers or the Planning Committee using the established national guidelines.”