Cabins to fund village pub revival.

A couple who have taken on a long-abandoned Herefordshire village pub have revealed how they intend to fund its reopening.

Mr & Mrs Mabey of the Cliffe Arms in Mathon, within the Malvern Hills National Landscape, propose in their planning application (number 262885) to build four holiday cabins in a neighbouring field.

This is alongside a separate application for works to the pub itself, which “has sat empty for over twenty years”, a statement with the new proposal says.

The Mabeys “plan on bringing the pub back to life as a true community asset, with a business plan to give the pub a robust commercial future in these tricky times for pubs across the country”, it explains.

The site for the cabins is accessed from the pub car park, where guests would park, via a footbridge over Cradley Brook lying in a neighbouring property under the same ownership.

Provided by specialist Kent manufacturer Black Pines, the four “premium” cabins would come in two sizes, while a separate sauna would also be installed.

An “integral part” of the couples’ proposed agritourism business, these would “provide much-needed income for the pub and ensure its sustainability”.

“Overnight accommodation is a higher-margin income stream that make pubs viable year-round,” the couple’s application explains.

“Without this income stream, it is unlikely that the Cliffe Arms would be financially sustainable.”

It points out that the Malvern Hills National Landscape Management Plan backs new businesses in the area, particularly “regenerative tourism”.

There would also be “substantial planting” around the cabins and beyond, including a new traditional orchard and wildflower meadow, to “enhance the site and mitigate any perceived impact on the wider landscape”.

Comments on the application can be made until November 19.

Welcoming the bid, resident Sue Hickman said a revived pub “is needed as a social centre for the village”.

Dating back to the 16th century, the grade II listed Cliffe Arms closed “abruptly” in 2003, according to CAMRA, the campaign for real ale, though it did reopen “briefly” as a tea room in 2010.