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A Planning Inspector has dismissed an appeal against a refusal by North Hertfordshire District Council to grant retrospective permission for a change of use of premises from a public house to a single dwelling. The Cabinet, a Grade II listed building, had been a pub since at least 1806 but had ceased trading in recent years. The Appellant had purchased the Cabinet and converted it to a dwelling without planning permission. The Appellant’s retrospective application for a change of use, and the subsequent appeal, generated substantial local interest, including from the Save the Cabinet Action Group who objected to the application. Following a three-day public inquiry, the Inspector found that the Appellant had failed to show that all reasonable attempts had been made to market for a pub use during a period of vacancy, and that it had not been demonstrated that use of the Cabinet as a pub was unviable. He also found that the heritage harm caused by the change of use was not outweighed by the public benefits. Anjoli Foster represented North Hertfordshire District Council.
