Dozens of residents have raised concerns about proposed changes at a North Yorkshire village’s last remaining pub amid fears it could be turned into a restaurant.
A planning application has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council for work at the Half Moon in Barton, between Richmond and Darlington, by a potential purchaser of the pub.
The application seeks permission for a reconfiguration of the existing cellar, store and garage to create extra space for trading.
Two internal walls would be removed and a new extraction system would be installed.
Supporting documents stress that the premises would still continue to operate as a pub, if the purchase went ahead and planning permission was granted.
But villagers are worried the changes will lead to the pub becoming a restaurant, with the application submitted by restaurateur and chef Gary Chin, who already owns the Soju by Sumo restaurant in Northallerton, as well as two Asian restaurants in Humberside.
Around 70 people attended a public meeting to discuss the application last month.
Barton Parish Council has submitted an objection to the council, with more than 60 local residents also writing to oppose the changes.
The parish council said it was not against investment into the pub, but it added: “The application as presently framed does not adequately safeguard the continued operation of the Half Moon as a public house and community hub, and does not sufficiently address a number of material concerns raised by the community.
“The concern is not the principle of improving the kitchen or adding dining covers, but the risk that approval without tightly framed restrictions would allow the pub to become restaurant-led over time, with the public house function, bar use, informal community use and wider village social role gradually hollowed out.
“The community would then retain a building that is technically still labelled a pub, while in substance losing ‘the pub as a pub’.”
One resident said in their objection: “The Half Moon is not only a very well supported community hub, it also provides entertainment for all ages of the community throughout the year, as well as supporting vital charities within the village.
“If, as the plans suggest, the cellar is moved, then how will this pub be able to continue to operate successfully. I would suggest the pub brings in far more revenue and support from the local community than a restaurant would who would rely on customers from outside the area for support.”
Another said: “The proposal brings nothing to the village and will remove a vital community hub if the Half Moon were to close.
“There is insufficient off-road parking for such a proposal and as such, I envisage the village green and surrounding pavements ending up as a car park.”
The pub is owned by Punch Taverns, but it is currently on the market with a guide price of £225,000.
Mr Chin, who in 2022 won BBC Two’s Britain’s Top Takeaways contest, has previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that residents’ concerns were unfounded.
He said his aim was to keep the current community pub but to refurbish the premises, adding a variety of craft beers and wines, plus serving “local sourced ingredients and quality food as a secondary revenue” to make it sustainable.
Last year, the pub was given an asset of community value status by North Yorkshire Council after the different community uses of the pub were highlighted.
The pub is currently run on a flexible ‘tenancy at will’ basis by landlady Meg Walker.
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What happens if Punch terminate the lease? The village won’t have any “pub”