A COMMUNITY group that has been denied the chance to buy a village’s only pub by Gwynedd planners have been left “fuming” and called councillors a “disgrace” after plans were backed to turn it into a private home.

The Garndolbenmaen Community Group was hoping to buy the Cross Foxes, which shut last year, but an application by its owners to turn the tavern into a dwelling was approved by Gwynedd Council’s planning committee on Monday.

Caroll Ann Morris of the community group said councillors who backed the scheme “should hang their heads in shame” and warned the decision could be a “death knell for the village”.

The proposals were twice deferred to give the group enough time to try and buy the pub outright, but the committee was forced to make a decision after the applicants appealed to the Planning Inspectorate, with the bid having been on the table since November 2017.

Neither a representative for the group nor local member, Cllr Stephen Churchman, were able to speak on the item which was discussed in the council chamber in Caernarfon.

When the application was last under consideration, members gave the group until June to provide more information “so that additional evidence could be received regarding a realistic financial package that would enable Garndolbenmaen Community Group to purchase the property”.

But after an appeal was lodged with the Planning Inspectorate – with Gwynedd Council given a deadline of Wednesday, 16 May, to respond – a decision was brought forward out of necessity.

Planning officer Cara Owen said there was no planning basis to refuse the application, with the application having made it clear the business was no longer viable.

She added the applicants had made it clear that an appeal for costs would be lodged against the authority if no decision was made by the deadline – asking members that if they choose to refuse, they should make their reasons clear.

But Cllr Gruffydd Williams, one of two members to vote against the officer’s recommendation, said: “I don’t think giving the group nine weeks and then changing our minds is fair on the people of Garndolbenmaen.”

Planning officer Gareth Jones said: “I think we’d all like to see the Cross Foxes continue as a pub for the community, but it’s been on the market since 2011 and there has been a seven-year period with no buyer coming forward.”

Caroll the Cambrian News: “This is all about money and not at all about community. We are fuming and very disappointed. We weren’t given any time at all to put things together to keep it as a community pub. It is not fair to expect us to raise £250,000 in just six weeks, but in just one evening we raised £5,000.”

Caroll added that the group had “not given up” and will “keep fighting”.

The group has six weeks to lodge a complaint, and has said it will get the Ombudsman involved.