Plans for hotel for funeral mourners dashed (From Basildon Recorder)

Plans for hotel for funeral mourners dashed

10:00am Friday 5th October 2012 in News By Jon Austin

PLANS for a hotel to provide accommodation for mourners have been thwarted after a lengthy legal battle. The owners of the Gun Pub in London Road, Pitsea, wanted to develop a 20-room hotel on neighbouring land to provide rooms for people attending wakes at the premises and other visitors to the area. Basildon Council refused a planning application for the development on grounds it was inappropriate development in the green belt area. However, the pub challenged the decision by appealing to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate. An inspector has now reached a decision and sided with the council, meaning it cannot go ahead unless the pub starts a costly High Court legal appeal. Owner Lynn Mohseni said: “I am very disappointed. Really this was for our customers. People often travel a long way to funerals and there is no accommodation near the cemetery and at that time people do not want the added hassle of having to find somewhere to stay or to be put up by relatives."