Plans to demolish a High Lane pub and replace it with a convenience store have been approved by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. 

The Dog and Partridge pub, at 84 Buxton Road, High Lane, has stood derelict and in poor condition for some time. Following demolition, it is 'expected' that the new occupier of the site will be the Co-op, which will occupy a single-storey detached building at the rear of the site.

Some argue that this will be a 'much needed asset' for High Lane, whilst others argued against the destruction of what they argued was a historic building. 

One argument against the plans ran: "The proposal has no architectural merit. It contributes nothing to the locality and meets few sustainability targets being responsible for demolition and loss of historic embodied energy in the previous building."

Some residents also argued that the proposed opening hours for the new store (6am-11pm Monday to Sunday) were unreasonable, on the grounds that early staff and lorry arrivals would be disruptive. 

There were also concerns around increased congestion caused by vehicles entering and exiting the proposed car park.

The new store will stand at the rear of the site (Image - Google Maps)

However, countering the opposition, a committee report on the plans argued: "The benefits of the redevelopment of the site which is currently vacant and in a poor condition are, on balance, considered to outweigh the harm resulting from the loss of the undesignated heritage asset in this particular case."

Certainly, in a Marple Area Committee meeting earlier this year, members recognised that this would be "a much needed asset for High Lane, which needed to be balanced against the loss of the existing building". 

Furthermore, the building is not a statutory listed building and is not located within a conservation area; its demolition, therefore, does not strictly require extensive planning permission. 

Full planning permission was granted on 7 August for the demolition of the pub and the erection of the new store. The grant is conditional on development starting within three years.

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