Plans for Paul Hollywood’s spouse’s household pub to be became housing

Plans have been submitted to show the Grade II listed village pub the place Paul Hollywood met his landlady spouse into housing after nobody needed to purchase the £1million enterprise. 

Melissa Spalding’s household owns The Chequers Inn in Smarden, Kent the place she has served as landlady for 16 years.

Despite rumours that Jonny Depp was going to purchase it, the 500-year-old pub has had no takers because it was listed on Rightmove in April final yr for £999,995.

The pub has seven rooms, a bar, a restaurant with a pizza oven, and a big two-bedroom proprietor’s lodging.

Melissa Spalding’s household owns The Chequers Inn in Smarden, Kent the place she has served as landlady for 16 years. The 500-year-old pub has had no takers because it was listed on Rightmove in April final yr for £999,995

The pub has seven rooms, a bar, a restaurant with a pizza oven, and a big two-bedroom proprietor’s lodging

Paul, 57, met Melissa, 39, within the pub 5 years in the past when he moved to the village – the pair acquired married in Cyprus final September

Paul, 57, met Melissa, 39, within the pub 5 years in the past when he moved to the village – the pair acquired married in Cyprus final September.

But the historic web site – which dates again to the sixteenth century – may now be transformed right into a ‘single dwelling’ dwelling after a planning software was submitted to Ashford Borough Council final week.

It highlights how The Chequers struggles to compete with close by pubs The Flying Horse and The Bell, that are each owned by breweries.

This comes after the Great British Bake Off star abruptly deserted plans for a brand new eating room and kitchen at his £1m Kent farmhouse final week.

The software says: ‘With three public homes serving such a small group and with a altering method to ingesting within the twentieth century it was all the time going to be tough for all three to outlive.

‘There isn’t any apparent different industrial use to which the constructing could possibly be put and the choice made was to hunt a residential use of the constructing.

Paul Hollywood’s withdrawn plans for extension on his £1million Kent farmhouse

The planning software states that proprietor Glenn Spalding and his spouse have reached ‘retirement age’ and have recognised that the enterprise is ‘unsaleable’

‘Whilst the enterprise has good Tripadvisor evaluations, Smarden isn’t situated in a first-rate place to capitalise on the vacationer commerce and the commerce there’s, is now not sufficient to keep up the enterprise.

‘Use of the visitor rooms, which underpinned the enterprise, has been closely undermined because the three native sights drawing guests now have lodging choices nearer to them.

‘Headcorn Aerodrome now present lodging in Egerton as a part of a package deal deal, the close by Big Cat Sanctuary now gives lodging adjoining the positioning and Sissinghurst Castle is now served by nearer lodging obtainable at The Three Chimneys and The West House Restaurant in Biddenden.

‘This has left The Chequers struggling.’

The software says the pub has battled to remain afloat because the pandemic and amid rising vitality prices.

It says the explanation the enterprise survives is essentially as a result of Glenn lives on-site, takes no ‘wage’ and has assist from household to workers it, ‘thus maintaining the overheads low’.

Factors like native competitors and never being shut sufficient to profit from tourism commerce have left The Chequers ‘struggling’

‘The state of affairs now could be that bar commerce is inadequate to justify seven-day buying and selling and the general public home factor now closes from Mondays to Wednesdays,’ it provides.

‘In three years of promoting, there have been no viewings, presumably as a result of potential purchasers can see the identical points.’

In April, it was reported that Johnny Depp had his eye on the £1million boozer and was mentioned to be a ‘big fan’ of the pub.

However, the Spalding household branded the rumours ‘absolute garbage’.

Before lockdown in 2020, Paul star judged a village baking occasion held on the venue to lift cash for Smarden Parish Council.

The quaint, weather-boarded pub reportedly possesses a secret underground passage to the parish church subsequent door, however its whereabouts is unsure.

According to native legend, it’s inhabited by the stressed ghost of a French soldier who was a prisoner of struggle within the space throughout the Napoleonic Wars.

In newer occasions The Chequers gained a Tripadvisor excellence award and made it into the 2019 AA Guide ‘decide of the pubs’.