The Lamb Inn: Plans to turn Ringwood pub into flats and house

The Lamb Inn, on Hightown Road, was only taken over by Johnny Paun around a year ago, but now he says it could be shut by the end of the year. 

Owners Punch Partnerships say in the planning documents that the pub "is not a viable business", and that: "It has been extensively marketed by Savills for a period of approximately 14 months at the time of this application, to a wide audience with no substantial interest registered by public house operators or community groups." 

The group want to turn the pub into six one-bedroom flats and a three-bedroom house, including the demolition of the rear extensions. 

Plans (Image: Punch Pubs)

The decision to close the pub has taken the current manager by surprise.

Johnny Paun said: “I have been here for about a year. It was a bit of a surprise as I thought I would be here for three to five years, but I think the pub will be closed by the end of this year.

 “We do bed and breakfast here as well, but people can’t afford to spend on drink the same at the moment, and it is cheaper to go down to the supermarket and buy alcohol.”

Read more: New plans for second 400+ development in Ringwood

The Lamb Inn development (Image: Punch Pubs)

The planning statement says the property received one enquiry from a pub operator, but the applicants say they understand once further due diligence was carried out "no offer was forthcoming".

"This is clearly an indication that the pub is not an attractive enough proposition as an ongoing public house", they say. 

In addition, the property received one offer from a developer looking at the site for residential redevelopment and another from an architectural company looking at change of use to offices. Both offers were considerably below an acceptable level and offices are not community facilities.

Despite Mr Paun running the pub and expecting to remain doing so for a number the years, the applicants say the pub received "no other offers from restaurant users, community users or from any other service providers looking for an alternative social or community facility". 

Punch Partnership conclude: "The proposal converts and rejuvenates an unviable public house into residential apartments and reconfigures an existing brownfield site.

"Furthermore, the proposed residents and locality will benefit from several alternative facilities of an equivalent or better quality to the Lamb Inn, which are available within one kilometre of the site, such as the Railway Pub and Kitchen and eight other public house facilities."

The Lamb Inn remains open for business currently.