Pub and restaurant plan for historic Solihull farmhouse

A 17th century farmhouse in Solihull could be turned into a pub and restaurant under plans submitted to the council.

The application seeks approval for a change of use at Tidbury Green Farm in Fulford Hall Road.

This scheme would require the refurbishment of the Grade II-listed farmhouse and nearby outbuildings, as well as extensions and alterations on the site and the creation of a 49-space car park for customers.

The application, which could create around 40 jobs, has been submitted by the pub group Brunning and Price.

The firm said that a poll of local residents showed strong support for the proposal, and its survey suggested some 80 per cent backed the site becoming a pub.

Although a separate questionnaire, previously carried out by Tidbury Green Parish Council, suggested a majority were in fact in favour of the area being kept as “a preserved green corner.”

Fears about traffic and the fact that the development would be near Tidbury Green School were also highlighted at the time.

In response to some concerns about earlier designs, the applicant said it had made a number of changes to a previous version of the plans brought forward last year.

These include less work on the fabric of the listed buildings and retaining all protected trees on the site.

A planning statement said the pub would provide a “community hub” and the renovations would ensure the long-term survival of the buildings.

“The ground floor of the farmhouse (with the exception of the existing entrance hall and dining room) and large barn are proposed to provide the dining area for the pub/restaurant.

“The existing dining room, front entrance and upper floors of the farmhouse [would be] providing staff facilities and manager’s accommodation.”

Cllr Ken Hawkins (Con, Blythe) said he would be seeking conditions on noise and car parking.

The farmhouse, built in the 1600s, may have originally been a timber-framed building, but was later encased in brick.

It has undergone a number of alterations down the centuries and a chimney fell off when a stray bomb landed nearby during the Second World War.

The application will be considered by Solihull Council in the coming months.

Read more: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/pub-restaurant-plan-historic-solihull-15720882