A LICHFIELD pub has been refused retrospective planning permission for the conversion of a bowling green into a car park.
The Duke of York has been told the work cannot be approved as the sports facility had been designed as an Asset of Community Value.
Planning chiefs also raised concerns over a lack of information on the protection for trees on the site and the ecological impact of the changes.
The application for the retrospective permission had said that demand for local bowling facilities was “in decline”.
But a planning report said further evidence was needed to support this:
“The proposal results in the loss of a former bowling green, which previously served as a community sports facility and was designated as an Asset of Community Value.
“The applicant has not provided sufficient or reliable evidence to demonstrate that the facility is surplus to current or future requirements, nor that equivalent alternative provision has been made.
“The supporting material does not account for local participation rates, projected population growth, or the identified shortfall in crown green bowling provision within Lichfield city, as evidenced in the council’s Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sport Strategy 2025.
“The development therefore constitutes the unjustified loss of a valued community asset in an area of known demand and limited supply.”
It is the latest planning blow for the Duke of York after the pub was also refused retrospective planning permission for an outdoor structure and relocation of a cellar cooling unit.
Full details of the bowling green planning application and decision notice can be seen on Lichfield District Council’s planning website.
