The future use of both The Mayze and The White, latterly known as Belam’s Bar, debated by Newark Town Council

No objections have been raised over plans for one Newark’s former popular pubs that once offered drinking and dancing well into the night.

A planning application to reuse The Mayze on Castlegate as a bar/restaurant downstairs with conversion to offices above has been submitted to the district council and debated by the town council as a consultee.

Verve Architecture were commissioned in April 2023 by Mr and Mrs Fairhurst of Arthur Hudson Site Engineers to develop a proposal to convert the first-floor accommodation of 7 Castlegate for office space for their site engineering business, along with refurbishing the vacant groundfloor for a bar/restaurant.

Town councillors raised no objections after it was said that living accommodation might not be a happy mixer above a bar/restaurant whereas offices would likely be empty at night.

Another pub that is being lost is the Belam’s Bar, traditionally known as the White Hind at 3 Cartergate, which, like The Mayze, had closed down.

A planning application was submitted for the site, which includes two adjoining shops that form a corner block with Baldertongate, and also debated by the town council’s planning committee at the same meeting.

The application for the White Hind, which like The Mayze is a listed building, calls for a change of use of the front section of the groundfloor to become a cafe/restaurant and to rearrange the internal layout to create five separate residential units.

It also calls for 2 and 4 Baldertongate to be sub-divided into two retail units as well as removing an atrium and adding a new external staircase.

No parking spaces can be provided in what is a pedestrianised area, councillors welcomed the addition of a bicycle store.

However, several members raised the declining number of pubs and made the point that those that remain should be supported.

Mathew Skinner said of the White Hind: “Like it or loathe it, it is another town centre pub going.

“No objections, proposed frustratingly.”

Committee chairman Lisa Geary said the comments passed on to the district council to help inform its decision should be that the town council is supportive of the mixed-use development and welcomed the bicycle storage area’s inclusion in the plans.

And that it was also glad to see that the apartments looked to be a reasonable size.