Plans to turn The Angel Inn in Debenham into a home refused by Mid Suffolk Council
Plans to turn a 500-year-old pub into a new home have been defeated due to strong community outcry.
Members of Mid Suffolk’s planning committee met yesterday to discuss plans to turn The Angel Inn, in High Street, Debenham, into a home.
The proposals for the pub, dating back 500 years, followed its 2019 closure and were discussed and refused by committee members in March 2021.
The applicant, Mrs Stacey Paine, then appealed to the planning inspectorate who dismissed the plans in February.
The new plans once again received fierce local backlash, with 58 total objection letters, alongside one from Debenham Town Council, recommending refusal.
Speaking at the meeting, the town council’s vice chairwoman, Katherine Barlow, said the Angel was an iconic part of the village.
She added: “The high street is integral to any town or village and none more so than in Debenham.
“We’re not short of residential properties within the village, we are short, however, of social spaces and with no public transport in the evenings, weekends, and with limited services during the weekdays these sorts of spaces are crucial to village life.”
Ms Barlow also suggested if the pub was not kept as it currently is, it could at least be turned into a youth centre, pop-up restaurant, tourist information centre, or any other community building.
Also addressing the council was Cllr Teresa Davis, Mid Suffolk’s representative for Debenham, who stressed the village was ‘an oasis of service’ but that the pub hadn’t been given the ‘chance to shine and prove its worth’.
She added: “[The Angel] is an integral part of the fabric of Debenham and its high street — 500 years later it remains an eye-catching beauty.
“Whether it be in the hands of an entrepreneur, or the community, The Angel needs to remain part of the life of Debenham — to lose this prime employment plot within the retail core of Debenham would be wrong.”
The applicant was not present during the meeting.
Although the final decision on the updated application still lies with the planning inspectorate due to the council not meeting the deadline, committee members were still asked to decide whether they would defend the application’s refusal at the appeal stage.
The application’s original 2021 refusal was issued due to officers and councillors believing there was ample opportunity for the pub to retain its use — this was replicated this morning with a unanimous decision to turn down the plans.