Councillors bidding to save historic Timperley pub from bulldozer

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Councillors have voted unanimously to try to prevent a historic pub in Timperley from being bulldozed. A company wants to demolish the now derelict Pelican Inn and the adjoining Altrincham Lodge hotel on Manchester Road and replace them with a care home and apartment block.

The Greene King pub closed in July 2020 and never reopened. The time span for New Care (Altrincham) Ltd's application to be considered by Trafford planning and development committee lapsed recently because of an administrative backlog.

This has prompted the company to appeal against the authority's "non-determination" of the application and could now be decided by a government planning inspector. Councillors on the committee last night (Thursday, June 9) voted unanimously they would've refused the application had they been able to determine it.

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The proposal is for two separate buildings - a 75-bed care home for residents of "all dependency levels" and a 22-home apartment block - on the L-shaped site.

It has sparked objections from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and conservationists describing the pub, designed by renowned architect George Wescott and built in 1931, as a "non-designated heritage asset".

The Tudor rivial style building replaced The Old Pelican Hotel - known to have stood there from the early 19th century. And a coaching inn is understood to have occupied the site from at least the 17th century.

In their report to the committee planning officers said The Pelican Inn "is significant for its architectural, archaeological and historic values".

They also say that there would be an "insufficient contribution" towards affordable housing provision in the plan