New plans lodged for Morpeth pub with revamped outdoor seating area proposed
More details of the planned refurbishment of a Morpeth pub have been revealed.
The Joiners Arms is due to close for several weeks from early January during renovations planned by Punch Pubs and Co.
The pub group has now lodged a planning application with Northumberland County Council which details the external works proposed.
The plans include: an open sided timber pergola, an extended external seating area, new festoon and wall mounted lighting and new planting and hanging baskets.
There would also be new painted metal railing fencing and timber wicket gates, the removal of the existing timber trellis fencing and gates and metal bollards and the replacement of defective paving.
The Grade II listed cannon barrel bollard is to be relocated to a nearby grassed area under an existing planning consent before any works begin.
A planning report on the applicant’s behalf states: "There is no extension to the building, no alteration to its elevations beyond the fixing of wall mounted light fittings and hanging basket brackets, and no change of use.”
The site lies within the Morpeth Conservation Area but the pub itself is not a listed building.
“The pergola… has no roof covering, no walls and no enclosure of any kind, so views across and through it are retained,” adds the report.
"The lighting is the element that changes the appearance of the yard after dark, and it has been kept deliberately modest. There is no floodlighting introduced, no column mounted lighting and no illumination directed outwards from the site.
"The removals are as much a part of the design as the additions. The timber trellis fencing is a modern feature that divides the yard and obscures the boundary walls. The redundant metal bollards are clutter. The broken paving is an eyesore and a trip hazard. Taking all three away does more for the appearance of this part of the conservation area than any of the new work.
"The public house remains a public house and the external area remains an external seating area for its customers. No change to the licensable activities carried on there are proposed as part of this application. The external area is already in customer use. The proposal brings the southern part of the yard into more active use once the listed bollard has been relocated.”
Find out about the community matters that affect you on the Public Notice Portal. Go to https://publicnoticeportal.uk/ and enter your postcode to find out what is going on in your area.