Last Chance to Save the Three Counties Hotel from demolition

A group of concerned Herefordshire residents upset at the impending loss of the Three Counties hotel have launched a last-minute legal challenge to try and stop the clearing of the site by persuading the Council to strike out the planning permission given last month for the demolition of the landmark hotel and the building of a new Lidl store. They hope to take their fight to the High Court if the Council refuses and will attempt to persuade a judge to quash the permission instead through a Judicial Review. If the Council or the Judge agree the planning committee decision was made incorrectly the permission could be rescinded and, the campaigners hope, further applications will be refused. They hope that the hotel will then reopen and serve as a community asset to the residents of Belmont, Newton Farm, and the County in general. They say the hotel was successful until new owners from Oxfordshire took it over in 2016 from the Price family, who had run the business at a profit for two decades. They also say the hotel was the only facility within easy walking distance for residents of Belmont and Newton Farm that offered a public bar and restaurant of the same standard – as well as being the only hotel in the area – and the demolition of the hotel would be a great loss to the community. They say the Council’s planning officers made mistakes in advising elected members on the planning committee in the course of the meeting, in particular stating that Councillors couldn’t refuse permission on ‘loss of community asset grounds’ because officers had already decided the Three Counties wasn’t a community asset and that there were alternative facilities in the area (without naming which facilities they were referring to). They are also worried about the impact that another supermarket with 1800-2000 odd vehicle movements a day will have on congestion South-side and particularly on the stretch of the Belmont Road adjacent to MacDonald’s. Council officers had recommended approval for this second application in less than three years despite a large number of objections from members of the public and local Councillors. The planning committee voted to grant permission on officer advice after two hours of deliberation. Their fundraising page, which was shared for the first time today, asks for pledges to complete the different stages of the legal process. This can be done publicly or anonymously. They say time is very short in terms of submitting a legal challenge should the Council refuse to strike out the permission (JR applications must be before the courts no less than 6 weeks after the decision is made) and ask supporters to consider donating as a matter of urgency so they can prepare further stages of the legal process should they be required and to help defray costs incurred so far. The CrowdJustice page can be found here https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-the-three-counties-hote-1/