®Planning appeal decision
The Former Crown Inn, Colwall, Malvern, Herefordshire, WR13 6QP
Planning appeal 6003626 at The Former Crown Inn, Colwall, Malvern, Herefordshire, WR13 6QP (Herefordshire Council) was dismissed on 30 April 2026 by Inspector Guest H, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the loss of the public house is justified having regard to the development plan policies.
Outline application for Change of Use of existing redundant and dilapidated Public House and outbuildings into new residential development of 4 x 3 bed units of residential accommodation together with car parking turning and manoeuvring
- Authority
- Herefordshire Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Guest H
- Postcode
- WR13 6QP
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the loss of the public house is justified having regard to the development plan policies
- the effect of the proposal on highway safety
- the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of neighbouring occupants, with specific regard to outlook and privacy
What decided it
The loss of the public house has not been robustly justified through adequate marketing, and combined with highway safety concerns and moderate harm to neighbouring living conditions, the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweigh the housing supply benefits.
The significant housing supply shortfall and benefits of bringing a vacant building back into use were outweighed by the unjustified loss of a community facility, unresolved highway safety concerns, and moderate harm to neighbouring living conditions, particularly given the recent neighbourhood plan's housing allocations.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy SC1 (Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2031)Policy CF1 (Colwall Neighbourhood Development Plan 2021-2031)Policy MT1 (Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2031)Policy SD1 (Herefordshire Local Plan Core Strategy 2011-2031)Policy CD2 (Colwall Neighbourhood Development Plan 2021-2031)
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 14Paragraph 88Paragraph 115Paragraph 116Paragraph 129Paragraph 135
- Judgments
- Maximus Networks Ltd v SSHCLG & Others [2018] EWHC 1933 (Admin)
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Herefordshire Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
- Dismissed28 September 20266001896Land at Castle End, Lea, Hereford, HR9 7JY
- Dismissed26 May 20266003942Old Sun Valley Poultry Site, Off Birch View Road, Much Dewchurch, Herefordshire, HR2 8SH
- Allowed15 May 20266001433Spring Grove Farm, Ashperton, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2RS
- Notice varied and upheld29 April 20263327265Riley Hill Farm, The Barrow, Cradley, WR13 5JE
- Dismissed22 April 20263375624Log Cabin, Redwood Orchard, St Michaels, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, WR15 8TL
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.