Saving The Kingsbridge Inn…?

A Planning application is currently in place to change the status of the historic Kingsbridge Inn from a public house to a private residence.

The once thriving pub has been closed for several years and most recently been occupied as a private residence. The Planning application has been made by Patrick Gillies to obtain a “Certificate of lawfulness for existing use of property as a single dwellinghouse”.

There is a campaigning facebook group atempting to save the pub:  ‘Help Save the Kingsbridge Inn Totnes’  on which Marilyn Burrell stated “The pub is owned by the Colston Trustees Ltd, a pension company, so a change to residential would increase its value but a piece of our heritage would be lost. A lot of residential properties have been built in Totnes recently we can’t replace our Heritage,once it’s gone it’s gone”

The pub is claimed to be haunted by the ghost of Mary Brown,  a maidservant who, it is claimed, was murdered by the proprietor 300 years ago.

The last landlords were Charlie Baker and Richard Dale, taking it on in 2019 but it wasn’t long after they had settled in with their partners, that the Kingbridge finally closed and has been a residence since the pandemic.

Local residents successfully had the building registered as an asset of community value (ACV) and this listing will last for a period of 5 years until 28th September 2028. There was discussion in the past for a community run pub along similar lines to the Tally-Ho in Littlehempston – which has now returned to being privately run.

The current application has both supporters and detractors, with some saying a public house business would be unviable considering the current climate and pointing out that there are other pubs like the Bay Horse and the Bull Inn just metres away. They also make reference to the neighbours of the pub having a more peaceful life since it closed. However others point out the heritage of the 17th century building and it’s importance to the history of the town. Another states that the upstairs of the building is already a residence.

The application link is here: https://southhams.planning-register.co.uk/Planning/Display/2667/24/CLE