Plans to turn a village’s last pub into a house have been condemned by a national group.
The Campaign For Pubs said “it would be a disaster” if the White Swan at Deighton were to close for good.
A plan has been submitted by Mark Spence to turn the whitewashed pub by the A19 into a house.
Originally owned and operated by Marstons, the pub was sold in June 2024 as part of the sale of 61 of the company’s pubs.
It was rebranded as the Olivia Inn and reopened in January before closing again in June “due to unforeseen circumstances”.
Planning documents say: “The White Swan has been opened and closed many times over the last eight years. The owners of the pub were unable to operate the pub viably and the trade was in decline and so the pub closed again and was sold.
“The current owner purchased the public house in 2024 and after considerable investment has also been unable to make the public house a viable business for local and passing trade.”
But the Campaign For Pubs disputes this. In a letter of objection, Martin Bate, the campaign’s pubs officer, writes: “We would expect to see comprehensive evidence that reasonable efforts have been made to make a success of the business, particularly as it has been purchased as a licensed premises.
“We also consider that, under the management of an experienced publican the pub could be made to trade successfully, as it has done in the past.”
He says the loss of the Swan would hit the local community hard. “Closure would leave no public house in Deighton which would permanently change the character of the village and erode its sense of community, plus the loss of a sole public house has a directly detrimental effect on the economy of the village.”
Two Deighton residents have also objected. One says: “There was no food offering and the current owner never obtained a Food Standards Agency hygiene rating, suggesting that they never intended to continue trade long-term
“The premises were run as a cocktail bar. This business model is unsuitable for a rural village, but this does not prove that a traditional pub would not succeed.
“You can’t help but feel this establishment was never given fair chance to achieve its potential of being a thriving hub of the community.”
Another wrote: “The rebranded White Swan has never been given a chance to succeed under its new ownership, mainly due to lack of provision of food and erratic opening hours, together with the prohibiting of children and dogs.”
One resident supports the plan, saying: “The application for change of use is a shame but necessary to enable the former public house to become a viable business.
“It is unfortunate that the former licensed part of business was not viably despite significant investment by the owner.”
Deighton Parish Council has no objections to the application.
You can read and comment on the plans here.
