A South Cumbrian pub wants to build new staff accommodation in a bid to attract ‘desperately needed’ new staff.
Plans by the Blacksmiths Arms, in Broughton Mills, near Broughton-in-Furness, have been given the go-ahead by the Lake District National Park Authority to build the two-storey building.
Its application said: “The public house has proved a popular destination however has had to turn away substantive latent patronage due to lack of staffing. The lack of experienced staff impacts the prosperity and long-term sustainability of The Blacksmiths Arms.”
The pub said bookings have to be limited to 25 guests a day due to a lack of staff when the pub should be hosting 60 guests as a minimum and even serving this many guests has been dependent on the owner working over 60 hours a week.
The Blacksmiths Arms dates back to 1577 and was originally a farmhouse called Broadstones.
In 1748 archive records list the property as being an inn, working farm of 34 acres and blacksmiths. Before this it would have been a beer house, with the farmer serving ale in the kitchen for travellers and local workers.
A design and heritage statement submitted on behalf of the applicant said: “The development proposal is to provide high quality staff accommodation in order to attract desperately needed new employees. Currently the premises is forced to manage itself seasonally at less than half capacity.”
It added that the accommodation was needed for the long term viability of the Grade II-listed pub.
A previous planning application submitted by the applicant to construct a three-storey staff accommodation block was withdrawn following advice from planning officers that the design and scale would detract from the setting of the listed building.
