The former boozer has been subject to anti-social behaviour, drug use and rodent issues since closing down
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Calls have again been made to a Leicestershire council to move faster over proposals to demolish a decaying pub to make way for affordable housing.
Oadby, Wigston and Harborough MP Neil O’Brien said Oadby and Wigston Borough Council (OWBC) needed to move much faster and make a decision on the application for the Old Nautical William Pub in Wigston.
He said continuing delays have meant residents continue to live alongside an eyesore “which has become a focus for anti-social behaviour, drug use, and complaints about rodents.”
The pub closed in 2021 with a number of plans relating to the site submitted since then, with the latest proposal submitted in October by applicant Jon Lewis showing the “underused structure that detracts from the local environment” could be demolished to make way for 14 homes.
The decision date on the latest application was originally Thursday, January 8. However the application has been postponed due to various requests for information and reports on issues ranging from bat and other ecological surveys to drainage surveys.
This information has been submitted to the council and is included in the OWBC planning portal.
Plans show the homes are made up of five, two-bed four person homes, three, three-bed five person homes and six, one-bed two person maisonettes.
Residents living close to the pub are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of decision making on the plans. When approached about the plans back in May, nearby resident Elizabeth Tandogan said: “The pub needs to be knocked down. It’s an eyesore so, to me, anything’s an improvement.”
Aylestone Lane resident Kevin Hall said: “It’d be nice if it got resolved very quickly. It’s just an absolute eyesore.”
Speaking about the delay, MP Neil O’Brien said: “It is incredibly frustrating that this site remains in exactly the same position a year on.
“Plans to build 14 affordable homes for local people would be a great outcome for Oadby and Wigston. We would get much-needed homes for local people, and we would no longer have this horrible eyesore.
“The developer has submitted all the paperwork the Council has asked for, including the surveys and other information, but they are still waiting for a decision.
“This is a crazy planning delay and is simply not acceptable.
“People living in the area have had to put up with this derelict site for far too long, and unfortunately it is attracting antisocial behaviour.
“This is particularly frustrating because I worked for years to replace Section 106, and in 2023 we legislated for a better system that would avoid these kinds of delays. Unfortunately, the Labour Government has chosen not to commence that legislation.
“The council has got to move faster and grant approval to the plans.”
When the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted OWBC about this issue last month, the council said: “We are not able to comment on active planning applications, but as you are aware there is currently an application in place for the site which is still progressing.”
