Pub says it could shut over row with council about decking and play area

A pub landlord has asked a council for permission to keep a decking and children's play area which he says is essential for his pub's survival.

More than 3,000 people signed a petition, launched in 2024, urging council planners to agree that a decking, play area and marquee can remain on land beside the Castell y Bwch Inn in Cwmbran, Torfaen.

Planners had previously argued the features would have to be removed as they were on land which had not been granted permission to be used for food and drink.

Torfaen County Borough Council, which is considering the pub's application, said "it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time".

Pub landlord Gary Bulmer's planning application was first made in March 2023, with revised plans submitted last month for a new post and wire fence around the decking at the pub.

Torfaen County Borough Council served an enforcement notice on the previous tenants in 2022, which outlined what the council considered the established boundaries for the planning use.

But Mr Bulmer's application described those boundaries as "poorly researched and inconsistent" and argued the purchase of land to extend the pub's car park in 1974, and the planning use since 1948 had not been taken into account.

"Restricting this to the boundaries defined in the 2022 enforcement action would have such a detrimental impact upon the sustainability of the inn that it would be forced to close," the application said.

The application acknowledged that the site had "an extremely complex history" and that there were "no clear-cut solutions to the current situation", but said: "It is considered that all this land needs to be utilized... for the inn to remain financially viable, and should this application be refused, the inn will almost certainly be forced to close, with the loss of another community facility and jobs within Torfaen."

The application is being considered by the council's planning department.

Torfaen County Borough Council said: "An application has been submitted for the retention of the decking structure, with an additional post and wire fence, and retention of the children's play equipment, which is being considered by the planning department.

"Until the application has been assessed and determined, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."