The Railway Inn in Fourstones, near Hexham, which has been closed since 2015, is set to be converted into housing after a lengthy planning battle. Northumberland County Council planners have approved the latest application, which will see the building converted and a bungalow built on the former car park. The decision was made under delegated powers by council officers, not a committee of councillors.
Previous applications rejected
Warden Parish Council, representing the area, noted that two earlier applications to permanently close the pub and redevelop it for residential use were turned down, and a subsequent appeal was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate. The parish council's objection stated: "Numerous offers to buy the pub at a reasonable price have been rejected. Had one of these been accepted a new owner could have implemented an alternative business model and secured the pub as a community facility for the village and surrounding area."
It added that since 2020 the pub has been allowed to deteriorate to a dilapidated state, negatively impacting residents and visitors. The objection described the continued situation as "intolerable for local residents," and while a change of use may be the only solution, the current scheme was deemed "problematic."
Community reaction
Parish councillor Steve Heminsley said: "It is sad for the village. It has been a decade of the doors being firmly closed. We have been resigned over the last three or four years. To be fair to the planners, they have supported us throughout this because they accept that it would never return if it closed like this."
Planning documents reveal the pub, listed as an asset of community value, had been advertised for sale for years, including at £100,000 in October 2024, described as the lowest price for a pub in Northumberland "by a significant margin." Six offers were made, but none completed. Since 2015, discussions occurred with community group Fourstones Community Ventures, but the community made no offer to purchase or take up a 15-year rent-free period to operate the pub.
Approval rationale
The planning officer's report, recommending approval, acknowledged villagers' evident desire to see the pub reopen, but noted it had been closed for some 10 years and that "sufficient evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that the property would not be viable and has no realistic offers to be retained as a public house or community asset." The report added: "The building has stood empty for a number of years and is falling into disrepair and therefore bringing the building back into use is considered a benefit that weighs in favour of the scheme."
