Buchlyvie’s only pub will not be converted into holiday accommodation, after Stirling Council refused the proposed plans.
The Tavern 1851 on the Stirlingshire village’s main street has lain empty since the end of May.
In July, a planning application was submitted, requesting permission to turn the pub into short-term holiday accommodation.
At that time, Buchlyvie residents expressed their dismay at the possibility of losing the venue, and discussed a community buy-out, with the intention of reopening The Tavern 1851 as a bar and community space.
During a meeting of Stirling Council’s planning and regulation panel today (December 10), planning officers recommended councillors approve the request to turn the pub into a short-term let.
However, the councillors present disagreed with the officers’ findings and moved to refuse the plan.
Their decision stated that the “loss of pub would not contribute to local living by removing an amenity”.
They also argued that any tourism the short-term let might bring would not be substantial enough to justify the loss of the community space.
81 written objections from local people
The news will come as a relief to many Buchlyvie locals.
A total of 81 written objections to the development were received, including from Buchlyvie Community Council.
Residents raised concerns around the permanent loss of their local pub, and the long-term effects this could have on the community, including the economic impact.
There were also worries about a possible increase in noise, parking issues, and antisocial behaviour as a result of tourists staying at the property, following its conversion to holiday accommodation.
And locals suggested allowing more short-term lets to operate in the village didn’t make sense, given there is currently nowhere nearby to eat or socialise in the evenings.
The closest restaurants and pubs are located in Kippen and Gartmore, a six and five-mile drive away, respectively, and not accessible on foot.
Locals say bus services are not reliable enough to make travelling there for a drink or meal out feasible.
Tavern 1851 ‘not viable as a pub’, said planning officers
The Buchlyvie community has argued that it wasn’t clear the pub was under threat of change of use before its doors were closed earlier in the year.
Council planning officers responded: “The owner of the pub has provided a signed statement that they actively marketed the property from January 2022.
“The only interest received was in November 2023 by the applicant (for use as a Short Term Let) or for it to be converted into flats.”
They added: “The fact that the premises was unsuccessfully marketed is sufficient to understand its viability as a pub.”
The planning officers did acknowledge that the loss of The Tavern 1851 might have an impact on “the overall local living aspect of the village.”
But they said: “The vacant premises is a consequence of the lack of interest in the site when it was marketed as a pub and the current proposal brings a vacant site in the village back into use.”
Former bar area will become a living room
The conversion would have involved turning the former bar area into a living space and changing the current pub toilets into bathrooms.
Upstairs, there are already four bedrooms, dating back to the period between 2009 and 2017, when bed and breakfast accommodation was offered at the pub.
These rooms haven’t been used since 2018, when the current owner bought the property.
Councillors also noted that turning this space into short-term rental accommodation removed the possibility of someone local using the space as a permanent home in the future.
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