THE fate of an historic Quantock Hills public house took a new twist when plans to convert it to a ‘Sleeps 12’ holiday let were withdrawn at the eleventh hour.

Somerset councillors were being recommended to refuse permission for the conversion of the 400-year-old Blue Ball Inn, Triscombe.

But owner Grant Fowler withdrew the application shortly before it was due to be put to a planning meeting for councillors to determine it.

The plans were originally approved unlawfully last December by the former Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT), leading to an expensive High Court hearing where a judge quashed the decision.

SWT planning officer Ben Gilpin and committee chairman Cllr Simon Coles had agreed between themselves to grant permission when the application should have been taken to a meeting for debate by councillors. 

Last week, it was up for reconsideration by the new Somerset Council, whose planning officer Russell Williams said it should be refused.

Mr Williams said the pub’s conversion would reduce employment opportunities and economic activity in a rural are.

He said Mr Fowler had failed to ‘adequately demonstrate that every reasonable effort has been made to secure a continued community use for the property’.

If approved, the holiday let conversion would result in ‘very occasional community use’ and ‘adversely impact on the provision of community facilities’.

Mr Williams said although Mr Fowler wanted a ‘dual use’ where the pub could continue to be put to community use when not being occupied by holidaymakers, only limited information had been submitted to show how it would work

He said: “No evidence has been submitted to adequately demonstrate no ongoing community need for the facility.

“No formal commercial marketing of the property appears to have been undertaken, and a search online brings up no evidence of a marketing campaign seeking to sell, lease, or rent the public house as a business entity.”

West Bagborough Parish Council objected to the conversion plans, saying it supported ‘the widespread objection among both close neighbours and other parishioners’.

Parish clerk Peter Hamilton said: “Parishioners are asking why, when the pub has been successful for over 400 years, it has now failed completely over the past few years.

“Simply accepting the claims of the applicant is not right in their view.

“It would not be right to accept that it is no longer a viable concern without a detailed study of the financial management of the pub.”

The Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) management partnership also objected, saying: “The character of the area is under threat from a development of this nature.

“The potential to generate high levels of noise, light, and disturbance to tranquillity is significant and at odds with the AONB’s primary purpose, to conserve and enhance the AONB’s natural beauty, its special qualities, and distinctive characteristics.”

There were also more than a dozen letters of objection from local residents, and one in support of the plans.

Mr Fowler’s agent, Damian Claughton, of Jackson Architects Ltd, said since 2008 a number of tenants had unsuccessfully tried to run the pub as a going concern and the final straw had been the Covid-19 pandemic, since when it had remained empty.

Mr Claughton said many rural pubs had to diversify to stay viable, and turning to accommodation was an obvious choice in an area such as the Quantocks which people visited for a wide range of activities.