400 signatures in 48 hours for historic Bishop's Castle pub petition
More than 400 signatures have been gathered in less than 48 hours to save a town’s historic pub, after the landlord’s attempts to sell the premises failed and plans to convert it into houses were rejected by a council.
The Boar's Head in Bishop's Castle is known as one of the town's oldest pubs, first licensed in 1642, and a petition has now been launched by residents in the hope of saving it from development.
The landlord, Darren Price, had originally tried to sell the premises, but to no avail.
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Plans were then submitted to convert the pub into two houses, with the detached accommodation building known as the Curly Tail converted into another house, and a fourth home built in the car park.
At a recent Shropshire Council south planning committee meeting, the plans were rejected, despite the planning officer recommending they were approved, saying the loss of the historic pub would be a blow to the town's economy.
The petition gathered more than 400 signatures in just two days and aims to get 500 to take it to Shropshire Council for consideration.
It states: "There are plans in place to close down the Boars Head pub in Bishops Castle and convert it into three houses.
"The Boars Head is a historic pub in the town which was first licensed in 1642. The pub has great history in the town being one of the busiest pubs around.
"It would be a very big shame if these plans were to go ahead so please sign this petition to let the local council know what this pub means to everyone."
Thomas Farr commented on the petition: "This pub has been a Bishops Castle landmark for years and is an integral part of the six pub 'pub crawl' from The Castle Hotel down to The Six Bells."
John Jocys also commented: "The pub is a wonderful place, it has a long history too. It would be disgraceful if it closed and the site used for housing.
"We need to stop the closure of our wonderful public houses. Once they're gone they'll be gone."
Tony Clarke, meanwhile, posted: "Pubs, shops, are so important to our villages and towns, it's where most of us catch up with other people and be British. A place with just houses is a dead place."
Philip Abericci commented: "This pub is one of our favourite places for lunch and a pint when passing through. It would be a tragedy to lose it."
Julie Jones remarked: "This would be such a shame to develop this site, changing the town’s history forever. Surely with the right input this business could be viable without having to cash in on development!"
To see the petition, click here
