The Hole in the Wall pub in Scarborough will be converted into residential accommodation after owners said it was no longer viable as a business.
The Grade-II Listed pub on Vernon Road will be converted into a single dwelling following its closure in January 2023.
Owners said that the Covid-19 pandemic had “decimated” the pub trade and that the currently disused public house had failed to succeed under several separate licensees.
They added that it was located “on a very steep hill with very low footfall”.
The early 19th-century building will see the creation of a three-bedroom apartment on the ground floor with a “good-sized garden” at the rear.
No external alterations have been proposed and planning officers said that internal changes would include “very minor alterations internally to partially reinstate a wall so as to provide room separation between the lounge and snug”.
The applicant, a “highly experienced publican” with 13 other public houses, said:
“The habits of socialising have changed in recent years, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis following the Ukraine invasion.
“This has pushed people away from the regular trip to the local pub, and socialising at home has become very popular.”
The application adds:
“The high concentration of drinking establishments does not assist with enhancing the business viability of the applicant’s premises as a public house, and it may be considered Scarborough town centre has an oversupply of low-cost pubs.”
According to a council report, the vacant pub has been subject to vandalism and officers said that substantial investment would be required to “return the building to being commercially viable, or in this case convert it to a habitable standard”.
A letter was submitted by J W Smith Chartered Accountants supporting the view that a public house in the location was no longer considered viable.
A council report said that the opinion was “not evidential” but “a professional view nonetheless”.
The application to convert the Hole in the Wall pub was approved, subject to condition on Tuesday, January 16.
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