Property developer Sidney Imafidon – a Fenland district and Wisbech town councillor – has applied to convert a closed public house in March into three flats. Cllr Imafidon is shown as the applicant on a planning application submitted to Fenland District Council by Morton & Hall Consulting Ltd for change of use of the Buffs public house at 5 Robingoodfellows Lane, March.
The freehouse pub, which until 2003 was a Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB) club, was granted a pub licence and opened officially in 2009. It closed last year.
The agents says the proposal is for change for use of the existing building into 3 flats, over two floors.
“At the time of visiting the site and preparing the application, there is no loss of employment as this had previously been lost when the business closed,” says Morton & Hall.
“The loss of the commercial use at this site in our opinion, would be beneficial to adjacent land owners as the proposed residential usage would match in with the adjacent residential usage. The loss of commercial land at the site would be minimal and there has been previous approvals at this site for residential conversion.”
Morton & Hall says that the building is not listed or within the grounds or adjacent a listed building. And it is not within or adjacent March Conservation Area.
The company says that there is parking for one vehicle at the site, which is to be maintained.
“The access point onto the one way street of Robingoodfellows Lane will not be altered. This site is within a town centre location,” says Morton & Hall.
“There is further free parking within 25m of this site at Robingoodfellows Lane. Further south to this site there is a large free parking area approximately 100m south of this site access off Robingoodfellows Lane.”
The company says the pub is a one and half storey building which has been in situ in its current size for a considerable number of years and “does not benefit from any garden area. At the time of the site visit, the property was unoccupied and had closed as a club which is still the case”.
Morton & Hall says a previous permission existed for the conversion of the first floor to a flat which was not implemented.
“Within easy access of this site, there are numerous primary schools, other public houses including a major public house of Wetherspoons to the south west of the site,” says the agent.
“The proposal to change of use to residential in our opinion would allow for some neighbouring community benefits. The proposal to remove the external fire escape would therefore prevent overlooking into neighbouring gardens which would be an improvement for adjacent residents.
“The proposal to change of use to residential would also ensure that potential noise levels at the site are less than the previous use, therefore there is further community benefits.
“As the building is not occupied, this will also bring a building back into use within what is considered to be a town centre location.”
