Homes plan for former Rothwell pub approved

A plan to reuse a former pub site for six homes has been approved.

The former Woolpack Inn in Market Hill, Rothwell, will be renovated after it was given the go-ahead by North Northamptonshire councillors.

Rushton-based Hazelton Homes will renovate the pub, which has been unused since 2017, along with a garage and overgrown landscaping next to it.

Rothwell Town Council had “strongly objected” to the council granting a change of use to the developer so it could be used as housing rather than a pub.

It complained it would mean a loss of amenity and retail space in the centre of the market town.

Two other residents wrote to the council to say it should remain as a pub or a restaurant and that the homes would lead to an overdevelopment of the site.

But authority planning officers said it was acceptable in terms of the character and its anticipated impact on local roads and neighbours.

Five homes will be built using the current pub building and adjoining extension. A sixth will be built in a renovated garage on the same site. Six parking spaces will be provided, one for each home.

The developer said the properties “will cater for different residential needs across the community”.

“The variety of house types are suitable for small families or individuals…providing the opportunity for high quality accommodation with the heart of Rothwell’s town centre,” it said.

The plan was passed by the council’s Kettering planning committee on May 17.