AN APPLICATION to remove the 650-year status of The Bull in Blackmore as a public house has been rejected unanimously by councillors.

Villagers have been fighting Sheila Pickering’s plans ever since she bought the grade two listed building in 2010 for £425,000.

After failing to sell the premises for double that figure, in 2013 she asked for permission to build two cottages in its beer garden which also was rejected by Brentwood Borough councillors and then subsequently by the Planning Inspectorate at appeal.

And now her most recent application, to change its use from a public house to be used as a single dwelling, was also thrown out at a meeting of the borough council’s planning committee on Tuesday last week.

Judi Wood, owner of Megarry’s Antiques and who has campaigned against the development since the start, said: “The council chamber was full of Blackmore residents. This was an apolitical decision. It was thrown out on planning grounds.

“She went to appeal with the other one and lost. But we don’t know what will happen now.

“In my opinion allowing it to be changed to a residential home would be an utter tragedy for the village.

“What amazed me was that every single one of the councillors in the planning committee also spoke eloquently against for all sorts of reasons.”

While the application was unanimously refused by councillors, the saga is not over yet as Mrs Pickering still has the option of appealing to the Planning Inspectorate to overturn the decision.

She initially intended to run the building as a pub with two houses in the beer garden according to a report in 2013, but despite investing over £185,000 in restoring the property and offers being received, none of these came to fruition.

Kirk Pickering, representing her at the meeting said: “Soon after it closed Mrs Pickering bought the pub with the intention of running it with her business partner but unfortunately, for personal reasons, she had to pull out.

“Despite comprehensive marketing no sale was secured.

“It is no longer possible to run The Bull as a profitable concern. Residential use is the sustainable long-term use.”

But Ms Wood added: “Never has she attempted to run the pub but when she applied for the cottages in the garden she stated the pub would be viable even without a large beer garden.

“What she is saying now is a reversal. She wanted to build in the beer garden. We all protested that it would spoil it.

“She claimed if she got permission to build those houses the pub would be viable with a tiny beer garden. The point is that there was an offer on the table.”

Cllr John Newberry, speaking at the planning meeting said: “If those walls could talk, we could get some good stories.

“It’s not just a village pub. It’s unique.

“It should be shared by a larger group.”