Woodanilling Tavern change-of-use application splits town as owner wants to sell it as a residence, not a pub

The closure and potential sale of the Woodanilling Tavern has divided the town and put the local government in the middle of a change-of-use row. The owner of the tavern on Burt Road, which was built in 1908, has left the area and put the premises on the market, while also applying to the Shire for a change of use from commercial to residential. The shire provided an opportunity for comment, which closed on July 8, and councillors will likely discuss the proposal at their August meeting. It is understood several letters of objection were submitted, with the major concerns being around the town losing its main social hub. “I understand that it will be worth considerably more as a residential property, but he bought a historical building, knowing full well that it was listed as commercial,” wrote one objector in a letter obtained by the Herald. “I think it would be a huge mistake to turn it into a private residence, and lose the potential of a great social hub, not just for the town, but for the shire.” The owner, former shire president Stephen Jefferies, shut the tavern’s doors in December 2023 because it had become a financial burden and was causing him mental stress. “We ran it successfully until COVID and it never really rebounded after that,” he said. “We had put on a new roof, installed plumbing, fires and windows and that took a financial toll. “We sold our house to keep it going. “Mentally, I felt I was letting the town down, but we really did all we could.” Mr Jefferies said he was managing a bottle shop in the State’s North West, to have some income and superannuation. “We are just trying to keep our heads above water,” he said. The property is listed as a home and is for sale for $439,000, with the residential emphasis frustrating Woodanilling residents who feel it has not been given a chance to be sold as a pub. Real estate agent Cameron Bolto said he had been trying to sell the property as a going concern since it closed but there had been no interest. Mr Bolto said the residential listing was simply a plan B, not an attempt to put off potential pub purchasers, sell for more or support the change-of-use application. Mr Jefferies said that if the change of use was approved and the property did not sell, he would return to the town to live. “Of course we would, we have nowhere else to go,” he said. It is understood a family member is living there, and the Tavern sign has been pulled off the front of the building so people would stop knocking on the door thinking it was still open for business. Shire president Dale Douglas said the application was now in the hands of the shire planners. He said the application was for a change of use, not a change of zoning. Cr Douglas also clarified that the pub was not on the State Register of Heritage Places but was on a local municipal register which identifies and records places of cultural heritage significance within a local government area. Mr Jefferies will have time to respond to any objections from the comment period. “The proponent will have time to respond to the comments and after that the planners will provide a report which will go on the agenda for the August meeting,” he said. The two options — agreeing to the change of use or retaining its commercial tag — were both tricky, he said. “There is angst in the town that we will lose our pub, and I share that worry as I was in there regularly even as a non-drinker,” he said. “But the council will also have to look at its future if it stays the same. “If the community and council decide to keep it as a hotel, we cannot have it just sit there and rot.”