PLANNERS have rejected a proposal to build a house in a village pub car park.

Developers had wanted to build a three-bedroom house in the car park of the Whitehall Inn at Rushwick, near Worcester.

The proposal described the car park as a “disused brownfield site” that had “no useful application” as, at the time, the pub was closed.

But both Rushwick Parish Council and CAMRA said the car park would be needed if the pub reopened.

We reported early last year that landlords Fiona and Ron Goldsby, who had run the Whitehall Inn since 2005, were retiring from the pub.

A sign then appeared last summer saying the pub was under new ownership.

It has now reopened but on a smaller scale than it used to operate, with a cafe and small bar area serving villagers from mid-mornings through into the evening.

Responding to the planning consultation in February, Mark Haslam of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) said: “The proposed loss of the pub’s car park will have a major detrimental impact on the ability of the Whitehall to trade as a public house business.

“Historically, as a village inn that also relied on providing a dining venue and function space, CAMRA maintains it will struggle to trade in its traditional format with this significant loss of dedicated parking.

“This proposal - if approved - will likely result in the unnecessary and permanent loss of the Whitehall Inn.”

The parish council said parking on the section of Bransford Road near the pub is “already an issue and safety risk”.

“The loss of parking when the Whitehall Inn is open and/or holding events will exacerbate the problem significantly,” they said.

Planning officers said the applicant had not provided evidence the pub could still operate with a reduced car park - and that “the local assumption was that the business was to reopen in the beginning part of 2024”.

Refusing planning permission, they said the proposal “would not represent sustainable development”.