Appeal against decision refusing conversion of Bell Inn to house
14/10/2025
The owner maintains re-opening and sustaining viable trading was not financially viable
The owner of the Bell Inn in Great Bourton has launched an appeal against a decision not to allow him permission to convert the former pub into a house.
The legal team on behalf of James Day have lodged papers with the Planning Inspector saying that Mr Day “robustly demonstrated that re-opening the public house and sustaining viable trading in the long term is not financially viable”.
At a meeting of Cherwell District Council’s Planning Committee in May councillors unanimously rejected the proposal, going against their officer’s recommendation.
The change of use application received 239 letters of objection with the ‘Save the Bell Inn’ campaign group registering the pub as an Asset of Community Value.
In the Planning Appeal submission, Mr Day’s legal team say the Save The Bell Inn Group’s website indicates their intentions to prepare a business plan and ‘crowdfund’ to purchase the pub, operating it as a community facility. But there is no evidence they are in a position to purchase and operate the site and during a 15 month period of marketing they made no approach to purchase the property.
Mr Day’s team highlight to the planning inspector they believe the original application robustly demonstrated that re-opening the public house and sustaining viable trading in the long term was not financially viable.
Comments by interested parties can be made to the Planning Inspector by this Wednesday (October 15).
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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Aaron clarke On 14/10/2025 at 10:59 am
I think mr day has done a good job saving a run down old building and stopping it from rotting to the ground it never worked as a pub hence why it was closed for so long if the villagers used it .it would never of closed