THE owner of an 18th century pub with connections to the Luddites has been refused permission to pull it down to make way for housing.
The Shears Inn at Hightown in Liversedge, a meeting place during the Luddite rebellion in 1812, was described as a “spectacularly important” piece of local history.
Owner Andrew Mitchell said the pub on the A649 Halifax Road, was no longer viable. He applied to Kirklees Council to bulldoze the building and to replace it with four houses.
The proposed scheme proved hugely controversial, and the Council received 433 objections to the application.
The application was refused on Tuesday, but Mr Mitchell said there seemed to be little local interest in any locals taking on the pub.