- Decision
- allowed, 28 August 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: David Reed
- Authority
- Huntingdonshire (East of England)
- Appeal reference
- 6009938
- Application reference
- 25/01539/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Change of use of former public house to convenience store (Class E) with ancillary first-floor accommodation, demolition of single-storey structure, access and parking
- Site context
- inside settlement, conservation area
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- HC6(1)(a)
- Development plan policies
- Huntingdonshire Local Plan 2019 LM22
- Main issues
- loss of public house
Summary
Change of use of a closed Greene King pub in St Neots to a convenience store with a manager's flat above. The appeal was allowed. Fifteen months of specialist marketing produced plenty of viewings but no viable pub offer, and the trading figures showed a loss. That satisfied local policy LM22 and HC6(1)(a).
Issues and findings
- Transition. "The main parties were invited to submit comments on the relevance of the latter and these have been taken into account" (fn 4).
- Loss of pub: PASS (HC6(1)(a)). "the numerous viewings and clear feedback indicate an effective marketing exercise. The asking price reflected achieved sales figures in the £275,000 - £375,000 range for a series of local comparable public houses" (DL ¶10). "For these reasons the loss of the public house has been sufficiently justified and complies with HLP Policy LM22 and Policy HC6 of the recently published National Planning Policy Framework" (DL ¶11).
- Local policy consistent with HC6. "Policy LM22 with supporting paragraph 6.49 is consistent with and very similar to Policy HC6" (fn 2).
- Council's objections rejected. The council said the pub was actively marketed for only 11 months; the inspector held that "a gap whilst an offer proceeds is standard practice" (DL ¶10).
- Heritage. Some less-than-substantial harm to the conservation area from signage was outweighed "since the building would remain in community use as a convenience store" (DL ¶4, 15).
Planning balance
Policy compliance, with no formal S4 balance. The shop was treated as "another, albeit different, community facility" (DL ¶15).
What made the difference
The quality of the marketing and viability evidence: a specialist licensed-trade agent, a price in line with comparables, documented enquiries, viewings and feedback, and trading accounts showing a loss. The period was 15 months, comfortably over HC6's 12 months, even allowing for a pause while an offer was pursued. This is the counterpart to Liverpool (PINS-6008083), where three months of unverified marketing failed.
Transferable points
- Fifteen months of documented specialist marketing at a price supported by comparables meets HC6(1)(a) (DL ¶5-11).
- A pause in active marketing while an offer proceeds does not break the marketing period (DL ¶10).
- A convenience store replacing a pub can itself count as a community facility, which weighs in the heritage balance (DL ¶4, 15).
- Local plans with wording like LM22 are treated as consistent with HC6 and keep full weight (fn 2).
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| HC6(1)(a) | pass | 15 months of specialist marketing, 38 enquiries, 16 viewings, one offer withdrawn; negative fair maintainable operating profit; price in line with comparables; loss "sufficiently justified" (DL 5-11) | |
| LM22 (Huntingdonshire LP) | accord | LM22(e) and para 6.49 "consistent with and very similar to Policy HC6" (DL 9, fn 2) | |
| HE6 | harm | signage and window graphics cause some less-than-substantial harm to the St Neots CA, outweighed because the building stays in community use as a shop (DL 4) |
Key facts
- Greene King pub, closed August 2023; specialist agent Everard Cole marketed it from 15 Aug 2023 at £350,000
- 15-month marketing, 38 enquiries, 16 viewings, one offer withdrawn after water damage; sold to the appellant Nov 2024
- Last full year of trading about £140,000 in sales; fair maintainable operating profit estimated at about -£7,700 a year
- Nine pubs within 1 km, including St Neots town centre
- Council's complaints about active marketing of only 11 months and an unrealistic price rejected; the Brampton appeal (APP/H0520/W/24/3346758) distinguished
Related decisions
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.