'No conditions' for pub in plans
EFFORTS by beer campaigners to get a new pub built in Paddock Wood have been thwarted following anger over changes to housing plans.
Drinkers' pressure group the Campaign for Real Ale wrote to MP Greg Clark in February, after developers reneged on an agreement to build a pub on the site of the former Hop Pocket.
But Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has since told Mr Clark changes to the scheme for a mixture of privately owned and government-supported housing, "were not contrary to planning permission".
Jonathan MacDonald, the council's director of regeneration and sustainability said: "The developers do not need to submit a new application to omit the public house."
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Permission for the Maidstone Road redevelopment was granted in 2009. This was for a replacement pub and a new five-storey building containing 24 flats.
But construction of the pub was shelved in January following concerns the business would not be able to survive.
This prompted anger from CAMRA as well as town councillor Ron Goodman who complained Landseair Developments had "ditched" the community element of the scheme.
But Mr MacDonald added: "There are no conditions on the planning permission to ensure that the development is completed or that the public house should also be constructed in addition to the flats."
Comments
by Jock07
Tuesday, April 24 2012, 9:50PM
“I dont see any point in building any new pubs when existing ones are closing down at such an alarming rate. Perhaps everyone, including CAMRA, should be concerned with supporting and therefore saving any more local pubs from shutting down. There may not be any decent pubs in Paddock Wood itself, but you dont have to travel far to find one in its surrounding villages. In fact we are very lucky to have some fantastic pubs in this area. The only downside is you have to pay the extortionate taxi fares to get to and from them.”