Regulars to protest over closure of Pontefract pub earmarked for housing development

Regulars at a pub in Pontefract will meet to fight back against plans for demolition to make way for housing.

The Railway on Mill Dam Lane sits in the middle of a proposed development for 80 homes that was given the green light by Wakefield planners recently.

But the move has angered the locals, as well as the landlady, after only being told about the decision to bulldoze the pub after the blueprints were approved.

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Maggie, who has been at the helm for almost eight years, said: “Everybody is devastated, we would have thought we should have had something from planning.

“We’ve been told we have six moths to leave. It’s come as a big shock and the customers are in uproar.

“We have spent thousands on doing it up.

“We even bought two projectors and screens for the World Cup next year, and spent £12,000 on the floor.”

Maggie leases the pub from a private company which is not tied to a brewery.

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“I love it here, it was a down and out pub when we took over and we have built it up, added Maggie.

“It’s beautiful and it’s being taken from under our feet.”

Over 800 people have signed a petition on the website, 38 degrees.

The plans for the homes across four separate parcels of land, including the site of the pub and the former Carlton Furniture Group site.

The meeting will be held at the pub on Wednesday, August 30, starting at 7pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.

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