A VILLAGE pub that put up a large timber outbuilding, dubbed the ‘dog house’, has lost a bid to keep it.
The barn style structure was built without planning permission in a conservation area and described by the applicants as a “traditional shed” and used as an outdoor seating area.
It has stood beside the Millers Arms, in Mathern, near Chepstow since February 2022 but was refused retrospective planning permission by Monmouthshire County Council in June last year.
A statement, submitted on behalf of pub boss Shuan Barnsley, as part of the original application for it to be retained, stated: “The Dog House is a shed. It looks like a shed and it is a shed. A timber shed. You would expect to see a shed constructed out of timber. It is used as a shelter and you would expect to see a shed used as a shelter to be constructed out of timber.”
The statement, which isn’t demountable, claimed the structure was “acceptable in a conservation area” and in particular in Mathern.
But Monmouthshire County Council disagreed and that decision has been upehld by an independent planning inspector who dismissed Mr Barnsley’s appeal after visiting the pub in January.
Inspector G Hall wrote: “It appears as a large, prominent, discordant modern structure that harms the established character of the conservation area and the streetscape.”
They described the Millers Arms as a key landmark in the village conservation area that has an “attractive core of 19th century buildings interspersed with late 20th century houses.”
The inspector also said while they saw domestic sheds in the surrounding area they didn’t spot any other timber structures of a similar scale.
A petition in support of keeping the “dog house” and disputing it was out of place in the conservation area was also submitted along with letters of support from individuals, Chepstow Cycling Club, the Bulwark Girl Guides who were provided with free chips and curry sauce when they used the outbuilding for an activity day, and Scout groups from Chepstow and Abertillery.
The inspector said they recognised the “strong support” for keeping the building, its use in supporting the community and making the pub more accessible, and “the considerable economic pressures facing pub businesses”.
But G Hall said there is a “strong presumption” in Welsh planning policy against granting permission “for developments that unacceptably damage the character or appearance of a conservation area or its setting”.
They said no evidence was presented the “dog house” was the only way of providing additional outdoor space which they recognised contributes to the continuation of the “valued local business”.
An application for costs was also dismissed and the inspector said a proposal to alter the roof design couldn’t be considered as part of the appeal process.
