‘DEVASTATED’ residents have vowed to fight plans to demolish a 450-year-old village pub which holds ‘a lot of memories’.
As revealed earlier in the week, Osborne and Co has submitted proposals to knock down the sixteenth century Raven Inn in Glazebury and build 10 houses on the site.
If approved, it would see the three-bedroom homes and mews properties constructed on the land at Warrington Road.
But determined residents have launched a campaign to save the site, which closed as a pub last year, and packed out a meeting room at Culcheth High School on Friday.
Residents packed out a meeting room at Culcheth High School on Friday. Photo by Wez Holden
Fraser Hampson, who grew up in Glazebury, set up the Help save the Raven Inn page on Facebook to centralise the campaign.
He said: “I was devastated when I found out about the plans.
“Firstly, to find out that it was not listed and, secondly, to find out they want to turn it into housing, which was baffling to be honest.
“For the last five years or so we have had an estate not even a half mile down the road which has been developed.
“And, currently, there is another site 300 yards from the actual pub that is under development.
“How can someone else apply for more housing?
“It is a small village and it is quickly turning into a huge housing estate.
“But with such a short timescale, for people to gather like they have done at 4pm on a Friday was brilliant.
“We are a real community here.”
The Raven Inn
In documents submitted with the application, it states the ‘neglected and run-down pub’ cannot be developed and that housing would bring the land back into use.
The developer adds that retaining the historic building is not an option due to viability reasons.
An application to list the site has already been submitted to Historic England.
And, during Friday’s meeting, the public highlighted the prospect of nominating the land as an asset of community value and, possibly, turning it into a community hub.
An asset can be listed as one of community value if it can be demonstrated that its primary use furthers, or has recently furthered, the community’s ‘social wellbeing or social interests’ and is likely to continue doing so.
Nominating parties must have a local connection with the area and, therefore, the asset.
Cllr Jan Davidson (LAB – Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft) was also in attendance on Friday.
She hailed the ‘people power’ on display in the room.
“I think a lot of people have a lot of memories from the site,” she added.
“I am hopeful that this will be a successful campaign.
“I hope the asset of community value option works.
“The fight is on.”
To visit the Help save the Raven Inn Facebook page click here
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