News: Roadhouse gets green light for new Rotherham venue

Craft beer specialist, Roadhouse, has secured planning permission to open in another location in Rotherham. It comes with a number of conditions.

Rothbiz reported in March that an expansion into new premises was already being progressed by the Roadhouse team when it was unexpectantly shut out of its Stag premises by its landlords.

With a premises licence already secured for a former opticians on Laughton Road in Dinnington, connected planning applications were submitted for a change of use and new signage at the empty 1,600 sq ft unit.

The site is located close to the planned £11m regeneration scheme which is focusing on high quality place making to restore the cultural heart of the town centre, increase footfall, boost the local economy, and restore a sense of pride amongst the community.

The Roadhouse application attracted nearly 250 letters of support from regulars at the Stag before its closure and Dinnington locals keen to see a micropub in the town centre and a vacant unit brought back into use.

A representation from the applicant stated: "Roadhouse Bar and Bottles has a proven record of re-connecting local residents with their local shopping area and discouraging the element of the community focused on anti social activities by the re claiming of otherwise vacant land.

"Popular areas offer prospect and refuge. Our bar and bottle shop provides a place that feels secure and brings the wider community together. With a continuous offer of community space, with art displays, live music, art workshops and charity events, the business is more than a bottle shop or bar and has a proven track record of promoting other local businesses and working collaboratively to increase footfall, contributing to the area's improved local economy."

Advertisement
Rotherham Council has a policy that would normally see pubs and bars discouraged in so-called "Primary Shopping Frontage" areas, however, planners explain: "Whilst the supporting text to the policy notes that drinking establishments are not considered appropriate, micropubs are a relatively new innovation and are much smaller than traditional pubs/bars.... The proposed microbar will be open for much of the daytime period as well, and the applicant has indicated that it would also be used for the retail sale of “high end drinks” to be consumed off the premises.

"Whilst the proposed micropub is not a preferred use for a prime shopping street it is considered that in this instance the proposal will bring back a vacant unit into use helping to contribute to the vitality and viability of the Town Centre providing a day/night time facility for the local community that could encourage linked trips to other uses without being harmful to area.

"Furthermore due to the current vacancies in this location there are retail opportunities for other premises to come back into retail use."

The closest dwelling is located four metres away to the rear of the premises, boundary to boundary, and on the suggestion of environmental health officers, a condition means that the proposed use as a drinking establishment shall only take place indoors. No seats or tables shall be placed outdoors.

The plans were approved withouth going before the council's planning board and includes other conditions around opening hours (10.00-23.15 Monday to Sunday), delivery times and potential noise from music and patrons.

As for the Stag premises, where both Roadhouse Bar & Bottles and neighbours, Rancheros, announced in February that they had closed for the "forseeable future" when a notice of peaceable re-entry by the landlord was on display, a post to social media this week read: "The Roadhouse would love to come back to the Stag. Some things are simply out of our control. We shall continue to try to get back in."

Roadhouse website

Images: Roadhouse