Second-hand car salesman loses appeal to live in closed-down pub

18-Jan-2018 - Last updated on 18-Jan-2018 at 11:41 GMT

Strong message: Council will "do what it can" to protect pubs after car salesman loses appeal to live in the Lamb Inn (Picture: Google Maps)

A second-hand car salesman who was living in a closed-down Oxfordshire pub without the relevant permissions has lost his appeal to remain there.

South Oxfordshire District Council has won a case which sought to establish the residential use of a public house in a South Oxfordshire village.

The council issued an enforcement notice in January 2017 on grounds that the Lamb Inn, in Satwell, Rotherfield Greys, Henley, was being used as a residential property without planning permission.

The enforcement notice gave the pub’s owner nine months to stop unauthorised residential use of the property. However, the owner launched an appeal against the notice.

In the appeal papers the appellant, Graham Granski, said he had submitted "sufficient proof" that he had lived at the property for the four year period of "residential immunity from enforcement".

However, an independent planning inspector dismissed the appeal last month.

Strong message

Cllr Felix Bloomfield, South Oxfordshire District Council’s cabinet member for development management and building control, said: “I am delighted with the outcome of the appeal. Purchasing a public house to use as a residential property, without the necessary planning consents in place, is totally unacceptable.

“I hope this sends a strong message that our council will take action whenever it is necessary to prevent this from happening and will do what we can to protect public houses for the benefit of local communities.”

The appeal decision was made on 19 December 2017 following an inquiry held on 17 October 2017 and a site visit made on 18 October.

In 2014 the council issued another enforcement notice to Granski who changed the pub's car park to use for the sale, display and storage of vehicles without planning permission.

Granski appealed this notice, and said it had been his "primary intention" not only to reopen the Lamb Inn as a successful social centre for the local community, but also to extend the range of services that it could offer.

However, after buying the pub he claimed he had "no other option but, as a temporary measure, to transfer his stock to the car park at the pub", whilst extensive repairs at the property took place.

This appeal was also dismissed.