Nottinghamshire pub empty for 12 years to be torn down as decision made on plan for 'eyesore'

A Nottinghamshire pub which has been subjected to more than a decade of dereliction and vandalism will be torn down to make way for housing and a café. The Mason Arms on Spital Hill in Retford has been closed for 12 years and will now be demolished to create room for 13 apartments, a shop, and a café.

The new L-shaped building will replace the 1970s boozer, which architect Phase Architecture said was an "eyesore" that attracted anti-social behaviour, including arson attacks and fly tipping. Planning documents explained the long-deserted structure was in a state of disrepair and had become inhospitable due to a pigeon infestation, rotten floors, and the risk of asbestos.

The developer behind the project explained that renovating the building would cost more than £400,000, with planners adding: "The unfortunate reality of the Masons Arms is that it is a building of a by-gone era, whereby social clubs and public houses were the pillars of communities.

"We must move with the times and accept when a building's use has come to an end." Designers of the new scheme said it would try to keep the "most architecturally significant elements of the building", which included part of the ground floor.

The flats will cater specifically for the needs of people with mental & physical disabilities. They will be accessed via an existing vehicle entrance off Wesley Road.

A previous planning application, which wanted to change the use of the pub but keep the building mostly intact, was deemed financially unviable due to the repairs that would be needed to bring it back into use. Two previous attempts to knock down the pub were refused, but Bassetlaw District Council's council officers approved the more recent planning application on October 25, subject to planning conditions.

The applicant has been asked to contribute £7,000 to support sustainable access to the site. Two new bus stops will be added to allow services to pick up residents and those staffing the retail units on Arlington Way, funded by a £34,100 financial contribution.

In a planning statement, Phase Architecture on behalf of applicant Joe Clayton, said: "For the reasons set out above the proposed development delivers additional housing and commercial floor space within the sustainable development boundaries of Retford.

"The tangible loss of the existing building is considered to be outweighed by the public benefits of the proposal. The resultant built form is considered to respond appropriately to the characteristics of its built and historic context, whilst safeguarding the reasonable amenities of neighbouring land users."