I’m being forced to tear down my £5k beer garden – 1,000 punters back me up but I’ve been given strict deadline
A LANDLORD has revealed they’re being forced to tear down their £5k beer garden by “jobsworth” council.
Landlady Mel Green forked out more than £5,000 when Covid hit so punters could socially distance at The Black Bull boozer in Otley, West Yorkshire.
She was permitted to install the wooden shelter without planning permission when regulations were relaxed by the government.
But now town hall bosses say the structure is illegal, and have given the 16th-century pub three months to demolish it.
They claim the cover is a blight on the pub’s listed heritage status and the town’s strict conservation area rules, describing it as “overly dominant, incongruous structure”.
But punters at the inn, which Cromwell’s army drank dry on the eve of battle during the English Civil War, are in revolt over the demand.
More than 1,000 have signed a petition calling on Leeds City Council to U-turn.
Mel, 44, told The Sun: “The council are being jobsworths – and that’s putting it mildly.
“I think they’re nasty, they’re bullies and they don’t care a jot about helping small business.
“People love our beer shelter. It’s not something we’ve done on the cheap. We’ve spent time and money making it look as good as possible.
“We only put it up because the government told us that it would help with social distancing.
“If I thought that I’d have to pay out of my own pocket to demolish it, then I’d have spent £200 on a gazebo.
“Not one person I’ve spoken to has a problem with it. Everyone thinks it enhances the pub.
“People love drinking out here in the summer and a lot of our customers are elderly and still feel vulnerable to Covid.
“This is a place where they can come and feel safe.”
Mel, who took on the pub five years ago, received an enforcement notice giving her until April to remove the structure.
She can appeal to the High Court, but must pay almost £1,200 to do so.
Mel said: “Oliver Cromwell and his troops drank the pub dry before Marston Moor – the biggest battle of the civil war.
“Leeds City Council need to know that we’re battlers, too, and we’re not going to go down without a fight.”
She added: “I think the government need to take some responsibility because we put this up at their request so people could go to pubs during Covid.
“It was either that or shut the doors for good – and we may not have ever reopened.”
Business partner Malcolm Hughes fears removing the non-fixed shelter, which features flower pots and old sherry barrels, could hit trade.
The 70-year-old said: “Running a pub is a hard trade – nothing comes easy.
“The shelter has been helped us enormously because it’s not always sunny in Yorkshire.
“It’s just ridiculous that we’re being threatened with enforcement action.
“The council should want to help small business, not punish us.
“We haven’t skimped on the materials. But it’s still not good enough – maybe the council want us to find some Tudor-age wood or stone.”
The council enforcement notice describes the shelter as “unauthorised” and says it is “affecting the heritage significance of the listed building”.
It adds: “The unauthorised shelter/structure for use in the beer garden is an overly dominant, incongruous structure and is considered to harm the setting of the listed building and fails to preserve the special character and appearance of Otley Conservation Area because of its size, scale, positioning, unsympathetic design, detailing and materials.”
Punters at the Black Bull Inn say the structure deprives locals of a “safe space” that they have “come to appreciate”.
Ian Kelly, who launched the petition, said: “In the midst of a global pandemic when licensed premises were encouraged by central Government to create suitable outdoor areas for customers to use and feel safe, the Black Bull Inn responded.
“They invested time and money into transforming an unattractive backyard into a pleasant place for patrons to sit and enjoy their services.
“This was not just a business decision but also an act of community service during these challenging times.”
Black Pull regular Geoff Davis, 76, claimed the council were being “ridiculous”.
He said: “The beer garden is an enhancement to the area, it’s not a negative. The council need to find something better to do – it’s just beyond comprehension.
“It completely beats me what they’re trying to achieve here other than hound a small business.”
Customer Mark New, 57, added: “They’re being bloody stupid.
“What’s the point in telling pubs they should open beer gardens during Covid and then get them to tear them all down.
“It’s not like Covid has gone. It’s everywhere at the minute.
“It might not be as dangerous as it was but there are a lot of older people in Otley who still feel vulnerable.
“Having this outside space lets them come to the pub but feel reassured.”
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “The council encourages any applicants to engage with us and will always endeavour to support and work with local businesses.
“However, where planning permission is required, development proposals need to be supported with the necessary applications, to enable the Local Planning Authority to consider the impact those developments may have on local communities.
“In this case, the development in question has been carried out without the benefit of planning permission within the curtilage of a Listed Building and is within a Conservation Area.
“These are protected areas of special architectural or historic interest and are designed to protect the character and appearance of a whole area.
“This enforcement notice has therefore been issued taking all these factors into account and in accordance with Leeds City Council’s Local Enforcement Plan.”