Dilapidated Georges pub in March no longer viable says expert as plans for flats go in
A disused town centre pub could become flats if planners agree with an expert assessment that the premises are no longer viable
The Wellington Pub company has applied to Fenland District Council for a change of use to turn for Georges on March High Street in five two-bedroom flats.
The application is supported by a viability assessement by expert John Keane, a partner in the firm of Thomas E
Teague.
He visited the pub to carry out an inspection in May, when he also visited the town's other pubs to see what they had to offer.
Mr Keane's 43-page report, which includes images of the building, which show just how dilapidated it has become since the former landlord Nigel Marsh closed the pub in mid-2019.
Since then there have been various attempts to market the prominent building, but without success.
Mr Keane said the property had been marketed, with an asking price of £295,000, by a specialist company, particulars had been sent to 8,274 registered buyers and it had been viewed online 2,330 times. There had been three written offers one was unsubstantiated and the other two were from a local builder wishing to use the site for residential development.
He said most people had been put off by the extent of work needed to bring the pub back into use, some estimates were around £200,000 but he feared the cost could be as much as £300,000.
"Whilst this is not a structural survey report it is evident that it is in a poor overall state of repair with some significant elements of dilapidation and dereliction," said Mr Keane.
Apart from rotting windows, failing guttering, a collpasing garden room and damaged signage, there are also signs that the right hand extension and the extension to the rear are suffering "structural failure".
This he said was most worrying and was evidenced "by the cracking to the front and side elevations and the daylight that is visible from within
the roof space."
Mr Keane said he did not have access to the pub's previous trading figures but said it appeared to be a "wet-led" establishment with a "small food offering".
He said: "The pub had been operated by the same licensee for about eight years prior to its closure in 2019 but latterly had received adverse publicity following a zero-star “scores on the doors” hygiene rating and a subsequent successful prosecution for food hygiene offences."
He added that when assessing potential trade it was "fundamental to bear in mind in the contest of March is the competitive pricing that is prevalent in a number of pubs in the town and the contraints that places on taking the business more upmarket."
Mr Keane believes that even after refurbishment the pub's main customer base would be from within March - and said: "Whilst March is not an unattractive town, I think it is fair to say that it is not a primary tourist destination and does not stand apart from the other market towns
in the area."
But he said: "March is already adequately served by existing licensed premises that cater for a wide range of people and tastes. The only gap in provision is for a high-end gastropub but there is no identified need in the market for such a pub."
In conclusion he said: "The pub has been extensively marketed by a specialist firm of agents for over 18 months and the market has shown no appetite to buy it. A common thread in the feedback from prospective purchasers was that the pub would require too much money spending on it to make it operational.
"The pub is too small to be a managed house and the estimated fair maintainable operating profit is insufficient to remunerate the operator and service a loan or pay rent.
"In my opinion George’s is no longer viable as a public house."