Planning – Application Comments

Dear Sir,
There was a time when Kings Lynn had a surfeit of pubs, but that time has long passed. The Lord Kelvin was one of the few in the area still standing and can and should be a valuable asset to the community. The Heritage Statement supporting the conversion of the building to residential units states that 'The use as a Public House has clearly failed and is currently not viable within the town centre as such'. No evidence is supplied for this assertion and no explanation of how this conclusion was reached has been presented.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has developed a 'Pub Viability Test', which can be accessed at the following web address, https://pubs.camra.org.uk/dl.php?id=57295, and is easily available by an online search or by contacting CAMRA.
The Lord Kelvin lies between the Railway Station, and the Bus Station on the enhance route which leads train passengers to the town centre. The Railway Station sees almost one million passengers pass through each year, while the Bus Station is the central road transport hub in West Norfolk. There are also taxi ranks in the immediate area. Close by is Sainsbury's supermarket which is probably the busiest shop in the town centre, and the town museum next door to the pub attracts a good number of tourists. I think any reasonable person would admit that there is a pool of potential customers.
Competition for the Lord Kelvin is provided by the Fenman pub, which is often closed during the day, the bus station café aimed at the lower end of the market, and the Station Buffet, which has a very limited capacity. I would suggest that with this level of competition and the potential number of customers, this pub is clearly viable with the right management and a clear business plan.
It states in the Heritage Statement that the building has not functioned as a pub for 18 months to two years. I would say it is rather longer than that since it presented a clean, comfortable and welcoming environment to potential customers. It seems doubtful that a semi derelict building, with broken and boarded up windows and slates missing from the roof is likely to entice passing trade, and to allow the building to deteriorate to that extent is destined to deter potential purchasers and customers. The current owner is stated to have purchased the property in the latter half of 2017, and seems to have done little to rectify this situation and to present the property in a reasonable condition to function as a pub.
It is clear that the pub trade has suffered over recent years, but the corner has been turned. In Lynn, the Wenn's Hotel has been refurbished and seems to be trading well as Goldings. A similar exercise has been carried out at the Lattice House, now Bishops of Chapel Street. The Nip and Growler is new to the scene and seems to be thriving, the Crossways is open again, while close by the Black Horse at Castle Rising is due to reopen soon. Fleurets latest pub price survey suggests shows Freehold sale prices are up 14.6%, with 'bottom end' prices up 24.5%. Leasehold sale prices are up 31% and volumes up 24.4%. These are not the figures of a market in retreat.
I hope therefore, that the planning committee give a full and detailed consideration of the change of use and do not rely on the bald statement in the application that it is 'currently not viable' as a pub, and refuse to allow a change of use.

Yours faithfully
Jeff Hoyle (on behalf of West Norfolk CAMRA)