VILLAGERS in Cheselbourne breathed a sigh of relief as councillors once again rejected attempts to redevelop a derelict pub.

Arpac Limited has proposed that The Rivers Arms, which stopped serving in 2008, should change its use from public house to three dwelling houses.

The item was up for debate at West Dorset District Council’s most recent development control committee meeting.

It was resubmitted after councillors asked for more evidence from the applicant that it had been sufficiently marketed as a public house.

The applicant provided evidence to suggest it had been marketed since 2007 by a number of different commercial agents.

Councillors were asked to make their decision against a policy of its local plan, which protects local community facilities if their loss would result in an unacceptable decline in the standard of services.

However, this can be overridden if an applicant can show no local need for the facility or that its retention wouldn’t be economically viable.

At the meeting, villagers remained adamant that there was a need and interested parties who would be keen to take on the pub but the site owners needed to offer it at a reasonable price.

The committee heard more than 50 residents had signed up as part of a pledge to spend more than £2,000 a month at the pub if it was to re-open.

Cllr Patrick Cooke, whose ward includes Cheselbourne, told the committee his experience of running a pub.

He said: “It takes all these people that are behind me now to embrace having a pub. Then, actually, it’s quite easy.”

Ken Parke, speaking on behalf of the applicant, said desire on its own wasn’t enough on its own to support a viable business proposition.

He said: “We have viability tested this on a normal business model.

“The cost of running the business against projected sales results in an unviable proposition.”

Cllr Stella Jones said she agreed with Cllr Cooke.

She said: “We sat here in January. We listened to the villagers and they convinced us that the pub was important and needed.

“It only came back because we have got so called marketing evidence now that it’s not going to be viable. Listening to the villagers it hasn’t even been marketed properly at all. It could be viable.”

Prior to the vote, owner of the site, Paul Miracca stood up to insist there were no one looking to buy it as a pub.

Despite this councillors voted in favour of rejecting the application.

Speaking after the meeting, vice-chairman of Cheselbourne Parish Council Tiggy Greenwood said: “We are absolutely delighted it’s been refused again.

“I think the thing that worries us is that we can’t force the current owner to sell at a reasonable price.

“When he says there have been no offers that is not true.”

Blake Holt, another resident, said: “We have won the battle but we haven’t won the war. We’re still going to fight.”

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