Shropshire hotel to close over marquee row

A Shropshire country hotel has said that it will be forced to close after being refused planning permission to maintain a marquee in its grounds that has been in place for almost 20 years.

Anne-Marie Brennan, owner of the Tern Hill hotel, Market Drayton, said the 12-bedroom property is not a viable proposition without the marquee.

The jobs of the 21 staff at the hotel would also go with the closure, she said.

But North Shropshire District Council said it was forced to act, after an Environment Agency survey showed that there were problems associated with the marquee.

The agency had registered an objection to the latest application for planning permission for the marquee to remain on the grounds that drainage was inadequate.

The marquee, which can hold 350 people, has been a main feature at the hotel since 1989, but permission for it to remain expired in April.

Councillor Jean Mainwaring told the planning meeting: “Last time we granted permission we definitely said it would be the last time, so I am going to say we should refuse it.”

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By Andrew Smith

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