A planning application to build five detached homes in the garden of a Newport pub sparked over 500 letters of objection and has been rejected by planning officers.

Saffron Walden Reporter: R4U Councillor Neil Hargreaves.R4U Councillor Neil Hargreaves. (Image: Archant)

Punch Partnership’s proposals were for land to the rear of the Coach and Horses Inn on Cambridge Road, including access, parking and landscaping, and reconfiguring the public house’s car park and beer garden.

Uttlesford District Council’s planning officers refused permission on heritage, environmental and design grounds. The rejection also mentioned a lack of consideration given to restaurant smell affecting the proposed homes.

The delegated officer report noted that Newport Parish Council, the Newport Ward councillor and a number of members of the public objected to the scheme on the basis that the development could potentially make the public house unviable.

The land has meanwhile been sold.

R4U district councillor for Newport, Neil Hargreaves, said: “These were individually written objections from people all over the country, because people were coming to the pub for events. That is an absolutely huge number. You don’t get this scale of objections even for applications for hundreds of houses.

“People are saying ‘you are taking away this garden, which is an essential part of the pub’.”

Cllr Hargreaves added: “The pub will still stay, but the financial viability of the business has been severely damaged by taking away this huge garden that we all use.”

Cllr Hargreaves said he fears the pub’s tenants Jon and Lucy, who run the pub and live on site with their small children, could still lose their livelihoods and their home.

Punch Pubs operations director Ed Passey said: “We can confirm the land to the rear of the beer garden of the Coach and Horses has been sold and Punch have no involvement in future plans with this section of land.

“The Coach and Horses remains an important part of the Punch Pubs portfolio and we have plans to complete an investment at the pub. Johnathan Luis is a fantastic Publican and we are confident that together we will develop an even better pub for the area and local community.”