A Fareham landlady is preparing to fight a fresh battle to protect her home and livelihood after developers submitted another application to bulldoze her pub and build flats.
Val Harty, landlady of the popular Redlands Inn, defeated developers in the first round of the battle for the site after an outline application was unexpectedly thrown out by council planning chiefs in January.
The eleventh-hour reprieve was a sweet victory for Val, 52, and her loyal customers who only found out about the application at the end of last year after reading notices posted outside the Redlands Lane pub.
Val is now preparing to see off a fresh challenge after pub owners Enterprise Inns, which lease the pub to her, went back to the drawing board and revised plans to build 21 homes on the site.
She and her family, including daughter Jessica, 22, and partner Bill Thomas, who live on the premises, are preparing to keep the community pub open.
"We can't just sit down and let them walk all over us," said Val.
"I will be jobless and homeless if this pub goes but that's not the most important thing. People here don't want to see the pub go and we are not giving up. We'll keep on going to the meetings and keep on fighting for it."
After the application was refused, Enterprise Inns agent Anna Budge told the Daily Echo trade was declining at the pub and that they would be back with a fresh move.
Chief planning officer at Fareham Council Alan Wells said the firm was now looking at 19 flats instead of 21 for the site. More importantly, it had clarified design issues such as how high the development would be - details that caused the outline application to be refused last time.
"They have given further details on design issues illustrating street elevations and details such as fencing and walls. That's really what the committee was looking for," he said.
The latest application will be considered on March 18.
She said: "We've had a break since the last fight and we are ready to go again. We won't give up and everyone is still supporting us."
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