Green light finally for farm shop

New lease of life for derelict pub site

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

COUNCILLORS have backed plans to replace a derelict pub with a farm shop and restaurant - which could create 50 jobs.

The planning application for the New Inn alongisde the A53 in Longsdon had been recommended for refusal due to planning officers considering it inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

But planning committee members at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council voted to approve the scheme, saying that the new business would tidy up the site while creating jobs and boosting the local economy. The New Inn closed 17 years ago and following years of deterioration it is now considered an eyesore.

Upperdales Developers Ltd proposed to demolish the pub and replace it with a larger two-storey building housing a shop and restaurant. An adjacent field, which sits within the Green Belt, would be turned into a car park for 75 vehicles.

The applicant says the development will create 50 jobs, although planning officers suggested this was an overestimation.