Former Worcester pub to become flats

An attempt to convert an empty city pub into flats has finally been approved.

The plan will see the Garibaldi Inn in St John’s turned into four flats under plans by Nick Carroll Architects.

Planning officers at Worcester City Council said the flats plan would be an “efficient and effective” use of the building.

The application submitted earlier this year had originally asked for permission to convert the pub, which has been empty since 2019, into five flats but was redrawn.

Several plans have been put forward in recent years to turn the building into housing and subsequently rejected over parking issues.

Earlier applications had looked to replace the pub with seven flats, which was turned down by planning officers, and then six flats, which was rejected by councillors.

Talks between the developer and the council over the five-flat plan eventually led the application to be whittled down to four flats with four parking spaces.

Worcester City Council’s planning committee unanimously rejected a proposal to convert the former Bromyard Road watering hole into six flats last year over fears it would worsen parking problems near the busy city gateway.

An appeal was then made to the government’s planning inspector in a bid to get the decision overturned but was unsuccessful.

Despite a strong objection from Worcestershire County Council’s highways department over the shortfall in parking, planning officers in Worcester had recommended to the planning committee that the plan should be given the green light.

Highways officers had stressed that at least eight car parking spaces – five more than had been proposed – would be needed to serve the new apartments before the plan could be supported.

The shortfall in parking was criticised by some members of the planning committee who said it would be “irresponsible” to approve a plan with little regard for adequate parking spaces.

It was not the first time that officers had been asked to make a decision on the future of the pub in the city’s Bromyard Road, with a previous plan to convert the pub into seven flats rejected by planning officers in 2020.