Historic East Yorkshire pub could end up as housing under new plans

A planning application has been submitted to East Riding Council to turn the Hildyard Arms, a focal point of the Patrington Conservation Area, into three separate homes with a garage block to the rear.

The last few years has seen at least eight other local pubs closing permanently, including the former Crown and Anchor Inn at Elstronwick, the Blacksmiths Arms, Preston, and the Elm Tree, Aldbrough.

Author Jeffrey Robinson, who wrote about the pub in “In Search of the George and Dragon and The Lost Inns of Patrington”, said he was very sad that it could shut forever.

If the plans were approved, there would only be the Holderness Inn left in the village centre, the Railway Inn having closed a few years ago.

He said: “To me it was always a good proposition as a pub. It is central and could be made viable again in my opinion.”

The pub in Market Place, which is just yards away from the famous St Patrick’s church, first opened as Escreet’s Inn in 1768.

In 1829 it was described in sales particulars as “that old established and well accustomed Inn” with lodging rooms and stabling for 70 horses.

Sir George Head, who wrote a book about his travels through England in 1885, found no room at the coaching inn when he called on a busy market day. He wrote: “The staircase of the inn was a thoroughfare from farmers stamping up and down in their heavy boots with (corn) sample bags in one hand and glasses of gin and hot water in the other.”

Mr Robinson said the pub shut after Christmas a couple of years ago, adding: “It was always the principal inn of the village, all the farmers used it to do business in there. It was a pub that catered for everybody.

“I’m very sad that it is closing, it was part of village life.”

The Campaign for Real Ale’s national planning policy adviser Paul Ainsworth said they had appeared to turn the corner with the rate of pubs nationally shutting permanently to just 216 in 2019.

The coronavirus pandemic could make the future of many pubs uncertain, but Mr Ainsworth said they looked to planning authorities to use the powers available to them to protect potentially viable hostelries from change of use.

He said: “CAMRA often hears it argued that so long as a community has at least one pub, the loss of any other pubs is acceptable. We strongly disagree.

“Different pubs are invariably geared to different markets and variety and choice is important to people. Also, healthy competition drives up quality.”

The agent for the developer was approached for a comment.

According to documents on the council's online planning portal the pub was put up for sale last January.

It elicited 20 inquiries, including from "individuals looking to acquire as a pub and they generally lacked experience, required finance and did not have the level of deposit needed to proceed.

The information from the he Leeds office of CBRE adds: "The only offers received were from local developers and builders.

"Initially, a sale was agreed on the 18.06.2019 but the buyer withdrew from the purchase. The property was remarketed and a sale was agreed with Chartmore on the 26.11.2019."

Pubs in the area to have closed include:

Neptune Inn, Easington - 2014

Nags Head, Burstwick - 2014

Crown & Anchor, Elstronwick - 2015

Blacksmiths Arms, Preston - 2015

Royal Mail, Thorngumbald - 2016

Remars, Withernsea - 2017

Halsham Arms, Halsham - 2007