Bid to save Prince of Wales pub in Woolavington

New plans have been submitted for a convenience store which would replace the 143-year-old Prince of Wales pub and extend the building.

Previous plans submitted by Box Property Group were withdrawn, prompting the residents to think the threat to the pub may have gone away.

Developer Box Property Group says in its new application it has already received a certificate of lawful use which confirms a development right to convert the building from a drinking establishment to retail use.

Now they want to extend the building and make changes to the site to house the new store.

Woolavington resident Carol Edney said she was determined to save the pub, which could mean raising more than £200,000 to actually buy the building from current landowners Punch Taverns which is in the process of selling it on to a company to develop it.

Carol said: “We have been informed that no contract has changed hands at this stage so we want to actually buy the building as we believe this is the only way to save it from development.

“We only found out about the proposals last week but we plan to start a new campaign to keep it open. First we will apply for it to become an Asset of Community Value or an ACV which will give us time to start raising the money to buy it.

“It is an important part of the community and where a lot of villagers meet. It was built as a pub or a drinking hole, if you like, and it shouldn’t be a supermarket.”

A spokesman for Punch Taverns said: “When we place a pub on the open market we review offers from all interested parties. In fact, nine out of ten pubs we sell remain as pubs.

“ In the case of the Prince of Wales, we can confirm that contracts have been exchanged with a potential purchaser and they have submitted a planning application to the local authority.

“We are not in a position to comment on this aspect as the submission was made by the potential purchaser and not Punch Taverns.”