New owners for prominent former pub in Cleckheaton

The George pub and Mead Hall in Cleckheaton town centre, at Parkside, closed a year ago and has since fallen into disrepair and is boarded up.

Last month plans to breathe new life into the Grade II listed building were knocked back by planners in Kirklees.

But now the Victorian building has been sold for £214,000 at an auction in Leeds.

Eddisons, which included the building in its spring property auction, described the 19th century building as once being an imposing hotel, with the building covering about 7,000 sq ft with car parking and extensive landscaped grounds.

It is not yet known who bought the building and what is intended for it.

Paul Dixey, secretary of the Heavy Woollen branch of CAMRA, said he had heard the pub was to be sold at auction, but had not heard any rumours as to who had bought it and what they wanted to do with it.

He reiterated that he hoped The George would reopen as a pub as there was potential there for the right kind of person to come in and transform it.

“We would much prefer that it remains a pub as there is that fear that it could be converted into something else," he added.

The plans which Kirklees Council turned down were from The Little Gem Pub Company and would have involved a complete revamp with a new extension and roof terrace, as well as a large beer garden and three painted sheds.

Planners rejected the scheme saying the extension and the proposed “external paraphernalia” would not fit in with the listed building and the street scene.

The applicant had argued that the works would enhance the existing building and had been designed to be respectful to the listed building using materials that compliment it.

A report accompanying the failed application, by Shipley-based JS Design Partnership, stated: "The proposed works to The George concern the new stone extension to the existing property. A new glazed link will provide the connection between the existing building and the proposed extension. A new roof terrace will be proposed on the roof of the extension, and this will be accessed by a new spiral staircase.

It added: "A new external beer garden and terrace will be designed to upgrade the existing external area. A further element to the proposal is the redesign and refurbishment of the interior of the building.

"The work involves new bar areas, new internal finishes and flooring as part of the refurbishment."