A Leek pub is to be demolished and replaced with five houses after a planning application was approved this week.

Leek Nub News reported back in May how the application was submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council by a Mr J Taff, and sought permission to demolish the Flying Horse Inn on Ashbourne Road before building five dwellings in its place.

Now that the plans have been approved, the pub will make way for three homes at the front of the site and two detached houses to the rear.

A planning statement prepared by Rob Duncan Planning Consultancy on behalf of the applicant explained that the plans were submitted after the applicant bought the pub from Admiral Taverns in December 2020.

The statement acknowledged that the development would represent the loss of a "community facility" in the town, but added that the area had a number of other pubs, such as the Earl Grey Inn, which residents could use instead.

It also explained that the pub's price had to be reduced twice by the previous owners, Admiral Taverns, in order to sell it, with its initial asking price of £325,000 eventually being decreased to £275,000 before a sale was made.

Despite the pub being "continuously marketed", only two offers were made, with both of these intending to redevelop the site rather than retain its use as a pub.

Four letters of objection were received from residents, most of which raised concerns around parking and traffic in the area when the homes are built.

One letter also objected to the removal of six semi-mature trees on the site as part of the development, although a Tree Officer explained to the district council that there trees were not of good enough quality to warrant the refusal of the application.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's planning officers also commented on the loss of the pub, explaining that it has been closed for some time and there were other pubs in the area for the residents to use.

They said in a report: "The application site is within the town of Leek, in walking distance of the town centre, where there are numerous other public houses available to meet the needs of the community."

Approving the application, the report concludes: "The concerns of residents have been taken into consideration however, for the reasons outlined above, the proposed development is considered to accord with the relevant policies contained in the Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan and the NPPF. As such the application is recommended for approval."