Shepherd Neame has been denied permission to turn a "unique" village pub into a house after a unanimous decision by councillors.

Yesterday evening, Maidstone Borough Council's planning committee rejected the brewer's application to convert the Clothworkers Arms in Sutton Valence into a residential property, as well as build a two storey extension at the back.

The building, which dates from the late Victorian times, was first owned by the Clothworkers Association and has operated as a pub since 1972.

However, Shepherd Neame argue the business, which does not serve food, is no longer viable, and trade has collapsed in the last few years.

The application was lodged just before public houses across the country closed because of coronavirus in March.

The business has been boarded up since July and has not been put on the market.

Ahead of the meeting Sutton Valence Parish Council objected to scheme.

It said: "This establishment has long catered for a large sector of the community that live south of the village.

"It has always been a wet pub and this is why it is well used. The parish council believes that the Clothworkers still has a future in the parish and do not wish to see it closed."

Sutton Valence Resident Peter Coleman, who lives nearby, also rejected the brewer's claim that the pub could not keep going, describing it as a "a lovely building with stunning views in the middle of a conservation area."

He said: "The village centre has lost all its retail shops and the pubs are the last relic of what was a thriving village centre."

As well as the Clothworkers Arms in Lower Road, there are two other pubs in the village; The Kings Head and The Queens Head.

Putting the case forward for Shepherd Neame, chartered surveyor George Barnes said there had been a long term decline in trading and the pub was too small to compete effectively in the food market.

He said the pub's downfall was not due to neglect, with the brewer injecting around £84,000 in the pub between 2009 and last year.

High turnover of licensees, with four since 2014 reflected the pub's lack of viability, he argued.

'It's what I class as a proper pub...'

He said: "It is our view that if another individual decided to trade the pub it would not prove viable and this is why Shepherd Neame decided to look at an alternative use for the Clothworkers Arms."

However, councillors said they wanted to see more evidence that the pub was financially unviable and that the application resulted in the loss of a valued community facility.

Cllr Lottie Parfitt-Reid said: "This is a really unique little pub in a really unique little area. Having lost a much loved community asset in my own ward and how this has affected my community, I wonder whether this would be the same here."

Cllr Ashleigh Kimmance said he had visited the pub many times.

He added: "It's what I class as a proper pub. You know if you go into a pub and you see people wearing high vis jackets, you know they are having a drink on the way home from work, and it's a locals pub."

Cllr Denis Spooner said: "I would like to see more evidence from the applicants to justify the pub isn't viable. Let's just see what the applicant can do if they find another tenant or another owner to take it on."

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