Following its recent closure, work has started to clear out the Royal Oak pub in preparation for its demolition.
Stephen Price at Riverlodge Properties, who is the owner of the premises, has applied to the Development Manager at Cheshire East Council for the demolition of the building in accordance with Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.
Following conversations with Cheshire East Council, I understand that the owner of the property can demolish the building if he wishes, without the need for planning permission.
Cheshire East confirmed they have received notice to demolish and they now have 28 days to make sure they are happy with the process and the way in which it is going to happen. The public will not be consulted about the application for demolition as there is no requirement for consultation.
The application was submitted a couple of weeks ago so Cheshire East expect it to be dealt with in the next week or so.
Stephen Price submitted a planning application earlier this year to replace the Royal Oak public house on Heyes Lane with 4 semi detached and 2 detached houses. This application was later withdrawn but we understand that another planning application has been submitted which has yet to be processed and assigned to a planning officer.
A previous application to convert the Royal Oak in to 8 apartments and build an additional 16 apartments was dismissed at appeal in 2004.
Click here to read our earlier articles regarding plans for the Royal Oak pub.
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Oh forgot it's the money that counts how thick of me sorry :-(
A Court of Appeal ruling [R (Save Britain’s Heritage) v the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (2011)] has resulted in two main requirements with immediate effect:
1. That all buildings and structures will require a) prior approval for demolition or b) planning permission. Previously only homes, listed buildings and buildings within conservation areas were affected. It now applies to all types of buildings.
2. Furthermore, the ruling has clarified that large scale demolition that has a significant impact on the environment may also require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). A failure to provide could lead to third party challenges. The applicant should request a screening opinion from the Local Authority as early as possible, as to whether an EIA will be required.
This means that demolition of the buildings is now classed as 'development' and planning applications should make sure that any demolitions work should be included within the proposal and referred to in the description of the development.