Long-shuttered Rotherham pub to become restaurant and convenience store
Officers said bringing the building back into use would reduce the risk of antisocial behaviour and create jobs.
A long-shuttered Rotherham pub is set for a new lease of life as a restaurant and convenience store despite fears the development will add to parking and traffic problems.
Rotherham Council’s planning board approved plans to transform the former Green Dragon Inn on High Street, Kimberworth, on Thursday, September 17.
The ground floor of the old pub will become a restaurant, while a 180-square-metre “One Stop-type” convenience store will be built alongside it. The two-bedroom flat above will remain.
Six objections were lodged, raising concerns about parking, congestion, the impact on nearby shops and the appearance of the development.
An original design featuring a large glass-fronted extension was sent back to the drawing board after concerns it would look out of place and harm the setting of a nearby Grade II-listed former farm building.
The extension has since been narrowed by more than a quarter, pulled back from the front of the pub and given a more traditional pitched roof.
Planning officers said the changes mean the new shop will sit more comfortably alongside the original building, while the council’s conservation officer raised no objection.
Parking also proved a sticking point.
Seventeen spaces will serve the restaurant and shop, with another for the upstairs flat, but objectors warned that may not be enough.
The council’s highways team concluded the development would not cause unacceptable problems, while deliveries will be restricted and made using smaller vans during quieter periods.
Concerns were also raised about the impact of another convenience store on existing traders, although commercial competition is not a planning consideration.
The Green Dragon has stood empty for a prolonged period, with attempts to find someone to continue running it as a pub proving unsuccessful.
Officers said bringing the building back into use would reduce the risk of antisocial behaviour and create jobs.
The restaurant can open from noon until 10pm, with the shop trading between 7am and 10pm.
Councillors unanimously approved the plans.