Owners of an Eden pub have been given the go-ahead to expand its offering to include a village shop and hair salon.
Lucy Tuer, her brother, Adam Jakeman, plus mum and dad Richard and Hilary, run the Kings Arms at Stainton and the Sun Inn at Newton Reigny.
They were seeking planning permission from Westmorland and Furness Council for a small retail space at the Sun Inn, Newton Reigny, to house a village shop and hair salon.
“The idea for this first came about during the pandemic,” Lucy told a meeting of the council’s Eden local area planning committee.
“As a small local business, we tried our best to keep both businesses alive and diversify, while also trying to support our local community,” she said.
Councillors were told that the family were big believers in supporting local people and other businesses which they try to include in both pubs and shop at Stainton.
Lucy said they buy their meat from local farmers and also try to stock a wide range of goods from local suppliers and small producers, including some of their own products.
“We also make our own marmalade that we enter in the Dalemain marmalade festival and our gin in collaboration with a local distillery — all of which we would love to bring into the new shop at Newton Reigny,” said Lucy.
The plan for the hair salon was to create a place for clients to come from the immediate area and surrounding villages. Lucy said to begin with her sister, who is already an established stylist, will take on the running of that side of the business with a view to potentially taking on another employee at a later date.
“Hopefully this will also benefit the shop and the pub,” said Lucy.
She added: “My family and I are always looking at areas of the business we can improve and expand as running a pub can be difficult at this time with the current climate. We are grateful to our local community for the ongoing support and we hope that diversifying into a village shop will not only help our current business, but will be an asset to the local area and support other small businesses.”
Westmorland and Furness councillor Mary Robinson (Ind, Alston and Fellside) said she would like to see as much flexibility as possible with the opening hours of the shop, including the ability for it to open on Sunday mornings.
“There is a lot of stuff that happens on a Sunday, including Sunday papers and everything else. Life has changed since COVID and by restricting our businesses, not to operate when they can, you are pushing more and more people online,” said Mrs Robinson.
She added: “I just think it is so refreshing to actually see businesses expanding in this terrible (economic) situation we have got.”
Councillor Colin Atkinson (Con, Hesket and Lazonby) said: “As a planning committee, we need to give this venture every opportunity to thrive.”
He said it would be very beneficial for the shop to be open until noon on a Sunday morning.
“You could pop down for your paper and get your bacon for your bacon sandwich. I don’t think it would impact on the parking at all,” said Mr Atkinson.
As part of the vote in favour of planning permission being granted, it was agreed that the shop could be open from Monday to Thursday from 8am to 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays and bank holidays from 8am to 5pm and on Sundays from 8am to noon.
