Ex-pub bowling green could return after Heysham car dealership refused planning permission

A car dealership could be ordered to reinstate a bowling green at a closed down Heysham pub after planning permission was refused.

The former green at the Cumberland View was covered over after Central Car and Van Sales opened a new vehicle sales forecourt at the Heysham Road site.

But the firm was told on Monday that their retrospective planning application - submitted after work began at the site - had been turned down.

The company, run by Dave Standen, had applied for change of use of part of the car park/bowling green for use for car sales, the laying of hard surface on the bowling green and a single storey side extension to the existing outbuilding for a sales office/valeting.

Several residents spoke out against the application at a public meeting held at Morecambe Town Hall on Monday.

Professor Carolyn Downs told councillors that living near the site was "not pleasant at all".

"There's been an increase in traffic, vehicles revving up, vehicles parked on pavements," she said.

"If you agree to this, it means major unauthorised changes in residential areas can be carried out first, justified later and they can get away with it.

"You would be setting a precedent for other developments in future."

Residents and councillors at Morecambe Town Hall after Monday's meeting. Photo: Beyond Radio

Mike Ryder, another resident, said: "If I'd have thought there was going to be an industrial estate on the road I live on, I wouldn't have moved there.

"This has already happened. We as residents have had to live through (this). Traffic, cars everywhere, it's completely changed the nature and feel of the area we live in."

Another resident said: "The area is already vulnerable to flooding. Suitable commercial sites exist locally, there is no evidence that this development needs to be located here.

"An existing bowling green has been completely tarmac-ed over. This will increase the flooding risk."

Councillor Roger Cleet, a Lancaster city councillor for Heysham North, also spoke out against the plans.

He urged fellow councillors to "reject this application and hopefully Mr Standen rethinks his business plan and comes back with something more suitable".

Councillor Cleet said he'd received "complaints about light pollution and noise from local residents" and read out a letter from the former Cumberland View bowling club who said they'd "repeatedly asked" for a new lease and the decision to end the lease "had not left us time to secure another bowling green".

He said the club had been at the pub for almost 95 years.

Darren Lewis, from Central Van and Car Sales, spoke in favour of the application.

He asked councillors to approve the plans so "we can continue to operate our established car and van sales business".

"When we took on the former Cumberland View bowling green, the site was derelict," said Mr Lewis.

"The bowling green was unused since 2022 and the area had become an eyesore.

"We have invested heavily. We have provided a proper surface, refurbished the outbuilding, made the place tidier and a lot more attractive.

"The commercial forecourt is a well managed asset which improves the street scene along Heysham Road.

"This kind of private investment matters. The bowling green had ceased operation years ago under the previous owners.

"Granting permission allows us to formalise what is already working well. It contributes to the local economy and delivers regeneration where public resources are stretched.

"Let us continue turning this former eyesore into a positive, productive part of Morecambe's future."

Mr Standen also spoke at the meeting, saying the work had been done "before realising planning permission was required" and said this was a "genuine misunderstanding, I apologise for that".

He disputed that the dealership was in a "prominently residential area" saying the "former use of the site is a commercial pub car park, immediately behind it is a retail warehouse, and there is another car sales lot nearby".

"It's clearly a mixed use environment," he said.

"I explored sites on White Lund, none of them were available to me.

"A pub is unviable. It's not returning."

Mr Standen said he was preparing a separate planning application to convert the ground floor of the former pub to flats.

The Cumberland View pictured in 2023. Photo: Beyond Radio

He also said there was less demand for bowls in the area, using as an example the reduction of greens at Regent Park from two to one.

Prior to Monday's meeting of Lancaster City Council planning regulatory committee, council officers had recommended that permission be refused.

A council report published ahead of Monday's meeting said there had been 10 letters supporting the application, and 13 letters objecting.

Supporters said it would be "regeneration of the site and area, appropriate development on previously developed land, would prevent crime through responsible site management, lead to improved safety for residents and a local boost to economy/businesses".

Objectors said there had been "a negative change in the character and appearance of the street, the development is dominant and does not reflect the character of the street, mentioned the disturbance/impacts/harm on neighbouring properties (noise, traffic, lighting), the visual intrusion of flags, signage vehicles, the retrospective nature of development, the inappropriate use for the location, the loss of open space/community facility, highways safety concerns/obstructing footpaths/insufficient customer parking/reducing parking for residents, and increased surface water run-off/flood risk".

The report said: "The hard surfacing to the bowling green has already occurred and is comprised of tarmac with a coarse texture," said a council report published publicly ahead of the meeting.

"The extension to the outbuilding is largely completed and will be comprised of wet dash render under a grey tiled roof. The outbuilding is located to the rear of the existing pub."

It concluded: "The application has failed to demonstrate that the site cannot be located on a more suitable allocated employment site.

"The application has failed to robustly demonstrate that the open space is clearly surplus to requirements. In the absence of this information, the unjustified loss of this open space results in harm to the health and well-being of the community.

"The site is located within areas at risk from flooding and the application has not satisfied the requirements of the sequential test insomuch that it has not demonstrated that the development cannot be accommodated elsewhere within the district that would be at a lower risk of flooding."

Councillor Keith Budden moved that the officers' recommendation, to refuse permission, be approved.

"I haven't taken into account that it's retrospective. I just don't think it's appropriate," said Councillor Budden.

This was seconded by Councillor Claire Cozler, who said: "The bowling club very much wanted to carry on using the green.

"Alternatives are just too far away."

Councillor Alan Greenwell then asked: "If we are to ignore the retrospective aspect of this, are we imagining that we can go back to where we were? Can this become a bowling green again? It seems to me it would be a very big and expensive undertaking."

Mark Potts, planning officer, then said that if planning permission was refused "an enforcement notice will be served essentially to make it go back to a bowling green".

Councillor Colin Hartley said: "Green spaces are very precious, especially in that area. I think it is a loss too far."

And Councillor Sue Tyldesley said: "I feel in this case we can't take into account the cost and difficulty of turning it into its original state. I completely support refusal."

The committee - councillors Sandra Thornberry, Martin Bottoms, Sue Tyldesley, Andrew Otway, John Hanson, Paul Tynan, Claire Cozler, John Livermore, Keith Budden, Jack Lenox, Alan Greenwell, Dave Brookes and Colin Hartley - then voted unanimously to refuse planning permission.

The Cumberland View was built as a pub and small hotel in around 1900.

Central Car and Van Sales has been a dealership in Morecambe for more than 25 years specialising in car and van sales and hire.

The business was based at Whitegate on the White Lund estate and moved onto the Cumberland View site last year.

"Despite several attempts to revamp the business, including two re-openings in the last four years, it is understood the pub closed its doors for the final time approximately 11 months ago and the site placed on the market," says a statement submitted with the company's planning application.

"Mr Standen purchased the whole site. The site includes the former public house, the car park, the former bowling green area to the rear, together with a small stone and slate outbuilding which it is understood was used by the bowling club.

"At the time the applicant acquired the site in July 2025, the bowling green had not been in use since January 2022, was severely overgrown with little evidence of its former recreational use, the associated clubhouse had been vandalised and damaged following a fire.

"The Cumberland View Hotel experienced a prolonged period of economic decline prior to its final closure.

"The bowling green and clubhouse were historically operated under a short-term private lease with a local bowling club. This lease was not renewed in late 2021 following acquisition of the site by Thwaites Brewery Group. The bowling green therefore ceased to operate in January 2022 following a commercial decision by the landowner. 

"Although the pub reopened in July 2023 following refurbishment, the bowling green was not reinstated and no investment was made to return the land to recreational use.

"As far as is known there was no attempt by the council to persuade or require the former owners to reinstate the bowling green at the time the pub reopened.

"The land subsequently fell into disuse and became overgrown and visually degraded. Despite attempts to revive the business the brewery concluded that a viable public house was not viable in this location.

"The final closure of the public house in December 2024 and the decision of the brewery to place it on the market removed any realistic prospect of the bowling green being brought back into use.

"The current owner has confirmed that the former public house use is not viable and there is no intention or prospect of reusing the building as a pub and reinstating the bowling green. He is considering what other options are available for the former pub building, with some form of holiday/residential accommodation being most likely.

"The proposal brings an abandoned and degraded site back into active use, improves appearance and management, and results in no loss of accessible community leisure provision."

Read more: Car dealership reveals plans for site of former Heysham pub - Beyond Radio