Plans to restore an historic St Albans pub have received 250 public comments, with many supporting the idea of its return.
The Rose & Crown, in St Michael's village, closed in 2020 after its leaseholder reportedly struggled to make money, despite investing in improvements such as an upgrade of the beer garden and serving food.
A plan to restore the Grade II-listed building and make it "fully operational" once again has proved immensely popular since its submission to St Albans City & District Council's planning portal at the end of September.
The application follows two previous submissions, in 2021 and 2022, both of which were refused by the local authority's planning committee.
The new plan aims to make the pub fully operational, look at potential for private dining upstairs, restore or convert the cottage at the site's northern end to a single dwelling, look at options for extension to the rear of the property and explore option for the site's garage.
A number of design options have been created, and included within the application.
Residents were asked to comment by November 4, but some have continued to do so as recently as Friday (November 17).
One comment, written by a resident of Fishpool Street, reads: "As a resident very local to the application address, I would like to support the application.
"I believe it to be sympathetic to both the building and the location.
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"In common with many residents, I’m very concerned with the loss of local pubs, particularly within the conservation area and believe to refuse would be to ignore the genuine difficulty of retaining the character of a building whilst meeting the needs of the community through creating a viable business."
Another, a resident of Sandpit Lane, added: "Me and my wife are very much in favour of the proposed plans to renovate the Rose & Crown.
"It is a vital asset to the community and must remain as a pub."
The application is currently under consideration, and can be viewed by using reference 5/2023/2016 on St Albans City & District Council's planning portal: www.stalbans.gov.uk/view-and-track-planning-applications
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