Plan for Canopy on Whitby’s Historic Middle Earth Tavern Refused

Friday, 19 April 2024 15:25

By Anttoni James Numminen, Local Democracy Reporter

North Yorkshire Council has again rejected plans for the installation of a canopy at the front of the 17th-century Middle Earth Tavern in Whitby.

The Council said that the pub, located at 25 – 26 Church Street, Whitby will not be allowed to install the 2.3m high canopy at the front of the building.

A council report states that “four applications have been refused for such development” in recent years, including two which were dismissed at appeal.

A planning officer said: “The main structure is of a similar scale and appearance to the previous applications.”

They added that such structures were considered to be “inappropriate from a conservation perspective.”

The canopy, supported by 12 posts, would have been 28 sqm in size and would have been topped with timber decking.

The six supporting posts at the front of the canopy would have been topped with decorative carriage-style lanterns.

Whitby Town Council said that the proposal would have a “detrimental impact on neighbours and the area due to the structure being out of character”.

Parts of the Grade-II Listed building date to the 17th and 18th centuries and it is located in the town’s conservation area.

Last summer the pub was granted retrospective planning permission for the installation of balconies and doors despite objections from Whitby Town Council.

The council report notes that the site has a “history with planning enforcement” and that the Council was ready to “undertake enforcement action” over a balcony that was “erected without planning permission”

It is noted that “the structure was removed prior to the 2023 application”.

Commenting on the new application, officers said that whilst the development had been “altered to relate to a canopy rather than a balcony, and the front screen has been removed, there will still be the same level of concealment and impact on the listed frontage”.

“It has been established in previous decisions that the special character and significance of the buildings lies, in part, to the legibility of the order and simplicity of the building facades,” they added.

North Yorkshire Council concluded that “any structure or development located off the principal elevation of the building is unacceptable” and refused the application.

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today