A PROPOSAL to turn an Overton pub into a house has been refused by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC.)

At a development control committee meeting on December 6, it was decided that the proposal be refused on several grounds.

The committee decided that the pub was required, and that the loss of it would harm Overton District centre in terms of vitality and viability. It was argued that it has not been demonstrated that it is no longer practical or viable to keep it, and that the benefit from the community outweighs the loss of the pub.

There were more than 50 letters of objection that were received against the proposal.

Ward councillor for Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon, Cllr Colin Phillimore, said at the meeting: “It is an important amenity in our soon to be expanding village and should not be lost.”

The meeting saw a number of representations come forward to object to the proposal, including both ward councillors, the Parish Council, and the Overton Business Association. They argued that the business is viable and that there is a demand for the pub in the area.

Cllr Ian Tilbury, ward councillor for Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon said at the meeting: “There is an old saying that we don’t own property, we are just looking after it for the next generation. That is certainly true of the Red Lion. Overton without the Red Lion would be a much diminished place.”

As previously reported in the Gazette, the main reason that the business is attempting to change into a house is that the business is no longer viable due to the costs to keep it running and a lack of customers. Also argued in favour of the application was that the business had been attempting to be sold before, but it was concluded at the committee that the property was overvalued.

There had only been one indication of interest in terms of buying the property even after it had been on the market since April 2015.

The Red Lion were contacted for comment. Before the decision, Caroline Wells, one of the pub’s owners, said: “The community doesn’t use it anymore. Instead, people are going to chains as opposed to supporting local businesses.

“It isn’t a viable business anymore, if people aren’t going to use it, then why are they up in arms?

“That is why we have taken this decision, we aren’t being greedy, it is just the right decision to make if the community aren’t using it.

“People need to come more than once a year to keep this viable. There are days where we only have a handful of customers, and that isn’t enough.”