Sir Audley Arms demolition plans a 'sad loss' for Chippenham

Members of the Chippenham Town Council planning committee backed plans to convert the Sir Audley Arms, on Audley Road, into housing, while acknowledging the “regrettable” loss of a community facility.

If approved by Wiltshire Council, the proposal would see developers Cordage 20 Limited transform the old pub building into two four-bedroom homes and another two-bedroom dwelling.

A further detached four-bedroom property would be erected, while the existing outbuilding and single-storey extension would be demolished, and parking spaces introduced.

The Admiral Taverns owned pub closed earlier this year and was up for sale for around nine months, but received “no substantial interest”, with the business deemed not “viable.”

Despite voicing no objection to the scheme itself, Cllr David Poole told the committee the loss of the pub was a blow to the community.

The Sir Audley Arms, Chippenham (Image: Neil Beck)

He said: “I’m quite saddened to see the Sir Audley Arms meet its demise because it’s very close to my heart this pub.

“It’s where I had one of my first drinks as a teenager back in the 80s… it’s such a shame to see this pub go.”

Many residents also voiced disappointment at the loss of the business after the plans were revealed.

Cllr Poole believes the loss of venues like the Sir Audley Arms is a larger nationwide issue caused by pub companies imposing high rent on tenants.

He added: “If you look up and down the country, we’re seeing this type of pub closing because of so called ‘viability’ and whether they’re cost-effective to keep open.

“These pubs, over the last 25 or 30 years, have been owned by pub companies and I would describe them as greedy pub companies, because they lease out at high rents on a fully tied basis where the tenants have got to buy the alcohol and the drinks through them at exorbitantly high prices.

The Sir Audley Arms, Chippenham (Image: Neil Beck)

“I put the blame for this type of pub not being viable solely on the pub companies that have actually taken advantage of the tenants… creating a situation where we’re losing these, in the past, well-used sites for community use.”

The committee did not raise any objections to the planning application and a planning officer report read out at the meeting labelled the proposal a “sensitive residential conversion” that would make sustainable use of a brownfield site.

Councillors were also hopeful that the introduction of new parking spaces on Audley Road could alleviate existing parking problems.