A Derbyshire parish council has revealed that it is set to join a rising groundswell of opposition including worried residents over plans to demolish a village pub and replace it with a drive-through cafe amidst fears of increased traffic, pollution and the loss of an ‘iconic’ building.
Chesterfield Borough Council is currently considering Brimington Property Ltd’s planning application to knock down The Three Horseshoes, on High Street, in Brimington, to build a drive-through, single-storey cafe with amended access, associated parking spaces and landscaping.
Following a recent packed Brimington Parish Council Extraordinary Meeting, Clerk Anne Wilson confirmed the parish council will be joining others including some residents, Chesterfield Civic Society and Derbyshire County Councillor for Brimington, Cllr Richard Smith, in opposition to the scheme.
After Cllr Smith had accused the parish council of taking nearly a month to respond to concerns over the scheme, Ms Wilson stated in a social media post: “For those who were not present at the meeting the parish council is only a consultee like the public.
“I will publish the comments of the parish council so everyone can be very sure that the parish council strongly objects on many grounds – both those brought to us by residents which the councillors concurred with and the others raised by councillors.”
Ms Wilson explained in the same social media post that the parish council was only alerted about the planning application on August 18 and an Extraordinary Meeting, which reportedly attracted 50 people, was arranged as soon as possible.
The scheme includes plans to widen the entrance and exit, and to relocate the existing traffic lights further away from the junction to provide a clear view of the roads and traffic lights for the safety of customers.
A proposed car park aims to accommodate five vehicles as well as six short stay cycle spaces to encourage cycling as a mode of transport, according to the borough council, and it is hoped the scheme will create 15 full-time jobs.
Formal objections submitted to the borough council so far include the loss of a ‘popular’ pub and an ‘iconic Brimington building’, fears over increased traffic on an already busy route, health and safety concerns for residents and pedestrians, and increase in air pollution with increased noise and litter.
Nearly 30 people have made submissions to the borough council so far as part of a public consultation after residents told how important the pub is to them as a meeting place and a community hub and County Cllr Smith has said he is concerned the scheme could result in the potential loss of a ‘nice old building’.
He has also shared residents’ concerns about pollution in Brimington with a high number of vehicles already moving through the village with well-documented congestion along High Street where an Aldi supermarket is already being built with further fears of even more vehicle movements.
The Aldi is being built in a very busy area at the junction of the A619 Ringwood Road and High Street, near to the Grade 2 Listed St Michael’s Church as well as Heywood House Children’s Nursery all in the vicinity of the Three Horseshoes pub.
However, the attractive pub building is not listed, according to a statement in support of the application by Brimington Property Ltd, though many residents regard it as an ‘iconic Brimington building’.
One member of the public stated: “I feel that a drive-through would have a bad impact on an already busy road. It would also be next to a nursery making it hard for parents to pick up their children.
“I live in Brimington and we already have parking issues on our street and I believe the traffic coming down our road would get a lot worse. I’m also worried about the pollution this would cause from the traffic.”
Another resident stated: “The proposed plans would bring such drastic change to the village as we know it from a visual basis that it
would be no more than a travesty.
“Furthermore, the idea that Brimington needs a ‘Drive Thru’ cafe is outrageous. Anyone wishing to remain in their car in order to get food or drink can currently carry on along the A617 for just over a mile to the next nearest establishment of similar stature.
“If a food or drink establishment is deemed imperative for the people of Brimington then surely the existing building would suffice.”
One customer argued the small village is not in need of a drive-through coffee shop because the traffic is ‘horrendous’ already and the building and pub has been there a long time with generations of village families socialising there and it should stay to serve future generations.
A Chesterfield and District Civic Society spokesperson stated: “The Three Horseshoes pub is included in the Brimington Conservation area.
“We believe that the borough council has a duty to protect the conservation area and not allow speculators to destroy buildings within it.
“The public house is adjacent to the Grade 2 listed St. Michael and all Angels Parish Church. The proposed modern building will have a negative impact on the setting of this beautiful historic church.
“The proposed development will significantly increase road traffic through Brimington bringing more air and noise pollution.
“Church Street, Brimington, is currently an Air Quality Management Area and developments that add to the problem should not be allowed.”
One person who raised concerns with the borough council claims the Three Horseshoes pub was identified in the Brimington Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan from 2011 as a potential heritage asset, and they added that any potential impact on the pub and its surrounding area would undermine the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
Another stated: “If this application was approved it would cause an increase in traffic leading to further delays for emergency vehicles, cause further risk to the young children and babies at the nursery next to the site through the increase in traffic pollution and severely damage the independent businesses of the local area.”
However, two submissions received from the public by the borough council include no objections to the proposed demolition of the pub and three more are in support of the planning application.
One person stated: “I am wholly in favour of the demolition of the existing public house and its replacement by a chain coffee shop for the following reasons.
“There does not currently exist within reasonable walking distance a place to have coffee in pleasant surroundings.
“Although some pubs serve coffee, they tend not to be open in the morning. Likewise, sandwich shops tend to close early and often don’t have comfortable seating areas, baby changing facilities etc.
“A coffee shop like this would provide a valuable community hub for, for example, the elderly and parents with young children.”
Another member of the public has stated they do not object to the demolition of this pub but they do object to is a High Street chain having a drive-through business on an already busy junction and with a nursery nearby.
They suggested any development needs to be a new building with proper parking facilities purely for takeaway and in-house not a drive-through with a function room for the community.
Chesterfield Borough Council received Brimington Property Ltd’s planning application in March and an ongoing public consultation is due to end on September 10 before the scheme can be considered for a decision at a borough council planning committee meeting.
Brimington Parish Council has been contacted for a statement outlining its specific grounds for opposing Brimington Property Ltd’s application but at the time of publication it had not yet responded.
