Plans for 'charming update' at historic Sheffield pub, dating back centuries, rejected by officials
Changes blocked at landmark pub
Plans to add a ‘charming update’ to one of Sheffield’s historic pubs have been thrown out by concerned officials.
Admiral Taverns had planned to create a new outdoor structure - a pergola - with festoon lighting and infrared heaters outside the Blue Ball Inn, on Haggstones Road in Worrall.
The pub company’s agents, Concept IDL Ltd, said in a planning application: “Our Client, Admiral are looking to invest in the site to update an external area by removing an existing aging pergola and giving the area a charming update to match the site.
“The external garden area is a popular addition to the site and our clients want to provide a scheme to give back to its customers, new covered external space, new lighting and new heaters.”
But Sheffield Council planning officials were less charmed, and have now rejected the plans, which officers at the authority warned would obscure the view of the pub, dating back to Victorian times, and harm the appearance of Worrall village centre.
In a refusal notice, they told the company: “The Local Planning Authority consider that the proposed development, by virtue of its design and siting, would detract from the special architectural and historic interest of The Blue Ball Inn, a non-designated heritage asset.”
A council planning department, which described the pub as having a 19th century core, had stated that there was no problem seen with the lighting, but they felt that the structure which would have been built would would be the problem.
The said the pub could be seen for some distance from Haggstones Road to the north, and was the first significant building people see when they come into the village along Worrall Road, and is the most prominent built landmark for any traveller passing through. They also said it was one of the main buildings forming the historic core of the village of Worrall.
Officers said the structure would be covering historic windows and a door, and would be harmful to the building’s character and appearance. They thought it would obscure significant historic and artistic details with “a modern structure of partially unknown materiality and appearance”.
They added: “The Case Officer sought amendments to the scheme, requesting that the pergola be set away from the building and that it extends from the northern gable end to ensure that its sensitive elevations would not be obscured or damaged in any way.
“No amended scheme was provided. “