Empty Worcestershire pub to reopen alongside new homes and shops

A pub empty for nearly five years is to reopen alongside new homes and shops.

The Crown, in Martley, Worcestershire, closed in 2017 but will now open smaller in size but alongside pub gardens, four new homes and space for shops.

Many residents have been against this plan saying the pub "needed to be preserved".

Malvern Hills District Council's plan will also include a total of 25 car parking spaces.

The Friends of the Crown community group on Facebook, which has more than 340 members, had been fighting for the pub and car park to reopen untouched and without any new housing.

When the pub closed in 2017, it had only reopened for 12 months after a significant and expensive refurbishment, and has remained empty since.

The application, which was approved by nine votes to three, included a statement that read: "The development's aim is to ensure a sustainable future for the public house, The Crown, as it is an unlisted building of merit as well as a community asset."

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