A plan to demolish an “eyesore” Loughborough pub for housing has “upset” neighbours who say it was their long-standing community hub.
The transformative plans look to build 10 houses on the site of The Plough Inn on Thorpe Acre Road in Loughborough, with the application lodged with Charnwood Borough Council.
The Victorian pub, which was closed two years ago when business slowed down, would be replaced by four bungalows and six two-storey properties built by Green Dragon Homes Ltd.
According to planning documents, the building is “structurally unsound”, in a “very poor state of repair”, and has been “condemned”.
But for residents of the surrounding estate, the loss of the venue has been a big blow.
Les Acaster met his best friends at The Plough Inn after moving into a nearby bungalow several years ago.
He said: “I got my ultimate dream to live near an old fashioned pub.
“I used to listen to the conversations the people would have and they said don’t sit there on your own, come and join us. That’s what that pub was like. It was a very homely place.
“There are lots of people upset about what has happened to it. The estate lost its community hub.
“There’s people who have been going there their whole lives. It’s a crying shame.”
One such person is Trevor De’Ath, who first visited the pub at age five with his parents.
He said: “There’s lots of memories. The residents here are all pensioners now and that’s where they’d go to gossip.
“I think let it stand. I don’t know what the government can do about all these pubs closing but they’re part of British society.”
Neighbour Debbie Newton, also a long-standing customer, explained that the site’s closure was preceded by several years of decreasing footfall.
She said: “When Covid hit, it went downhill. We used to go in on a Saturday night but hardly any one went in the week.
“It is an eyesore at the moment but it’s still a shame that they are going to build on it.”
The building was reportedly stripped internally several months ago and now only the shell remains.
For immediate neighbour Fiona, who did not want to give her last name, the demolition can’t come soon enough.
She said: “It’s been stuck in this place and it’s gloomy.
“What’s happened has happened so we’ve got to move forward. The attachment to this old pub – it’s got to go.
“Having community life built in through housing is a positive step.”
In planning documents, the developer writes the commercial enterprise at the site is “not viable” and there is “no realistic potential” for it to continue.
They say the building is attracting antisocial behaviour and with alternative pubs in the area, its loss should be considered “acceptable”.
Residents have until September 1 to make their representations on the proposals.
By Caitlin James, Local Democracy Reporter
