Former King Charles Head Public House, South Oxfordshire

Key issues -

• Loss of Community facility
• Consideration of alternative uses, with presumption in favour of employment use
• Change of use to residential in isolated rural area

The King Charles Head is an attractive, former pub building, but in a relatively isolated rural position. As a result of poor trading the pub had closed and following marketing, an application for change of use (with alterations) was submitted to change its use to a single dwelling.

The principal issues related first to the loss of the community facility and secondly to demonstrating that the building could not be used for employment use, which would have been the preferred alternative use under both government and local planning policy.

The Council accepted the change of use to residential.