Byron House Pub

Give it a chance, Maggie, it's just reopened with Wendy in charge.

There is a pool table.

And Pie-Friday is good, so too is the Saturday/Sunday lunches.

A Nether Edge pub landlady has warned that her venue faces potential closure after being forced to remove popular outdoor shelters that stood for six years.

Wendy McLaren, who took over the Byron House in September last year, believes takings at the Nether Edge Road pub could drop by half following the loss of the two pergolas. Put up during Covid by the previous landlord, the covered outdoor spaces were regularly used by visitors smoking, watching sports fixtures, and attending events such as parties and funerals.

McLaren expressed serious concern about the financial fallout, stating she believes the decision will have a major impact and could ultimately close the business down. Questioning the enforcement, she pointed out that various structures sit directly on the pavement along nearby Abbeydale Road, whereas the Byron House pergolas stood on her own property. She also voiced frustration over what she considers a vendetta against the business, adding she suspects any replacement application would simply be rejected.

The dispute stems from an order issued last summer by Sheffield City Council, which ruled that the unauthorised structures had to go because of their excessive size, scale, materials, and impact on the Nether Edge Conservation Area.

Voyager Pub Group, a subsidiary of Stonegate Pub Company, challenged the council's stance by taking the case to the Planning Inspectorate. The group argued that the pergolas offered essential cover for visitors and blended into the background of the host building rather than imposing on it.

Planning inspector Grahame Kean dismissed the appeal, concluding that the structures failed to respect the townscape character and affluent, well-ordered appearance of the neighbourhood. In his decision, Kean noted that the unauthorised timber build undermined the original character of the site, leaving it cluttered and enclosed. He determined that the angular design jutted out too far forward toward the pavement, harming the open street scene and conservation area in a way that could not be justified by the public benefits of keeping them.