Following our post of 9 May 2020 highlighting the proposed change of use of the Blane Valley Inn to a house, several villagers wrote to Stirling objecting against the loss of this important amenity for this part of the village, and as a source of employment, too. The Community Council discussed the application at its first online meeting on 8 June 2020 and decided that it, too, would oppose the loss of the pub. We know that the business has been difficult, but there was an interested buyer, and such a long-standing keystone of village life should not be lost forever, without proper justification. The pandemic environment does not make it a good time to decide such things in a hurry.
The planning department has now refused the application 20/00252/FUL for lack of justification, and unsuitable design. Referring to various parts of the Local Development Plan, the decision concludes:
- “The proposed change of use is likely to diminish the range of community facilities on offer in the village much to the detriment of the local community and no evidence has been submitted in support of the application to justify change of use.” …
- “The proposed rear extension by virtue of its scale, flat roof and external finishes would have a negative impact on the character and integrity of the host building.”
The detailed “Report of Handling” is here on our website. Full details and history including the submissions by the Community Council and others can be found here on Stirling’s public access planning portal.
The applicant of course has the option to appeal, and/or to submit a new application with different design and evidence to support the change of use. And of course, this does not mean that we have an open pub…