TIME is set to be called on a landmark pub three months after councillors saved it by a single vote.

The Pack Horse, located at the corner of Manchester Road and Parkhills Road in Bury, closed last summer. Built by Threlfalls Salford Brewers, it has since shown no sign of re-opening.

In February, Bury planning committee ruled developer Yasmin Sharif could not turn the building into three shops and a takeaway at ground level with four two-bedroom flats above.

A total of 142 people signed a petition against it and the committee rejected the application by six votes to five due to parking concerns.

However, under planning law, Ms Sharif does not need the council’s permission to convert the pub into shops as it already has the necessary licence to sell food, drink and other goods.

At the committee’s meeting last week, Ms Sharif was given permission to install new shop fronts and roller shutters at the property, despite formal objections from 27 Heaton Fold residents.

They contested there were too many takeaways in the area already and there were not enough parking spaces.

But Bury Council planning officer John Cummins said: “The only consideration is that of whether or not the new shop fronts are acceptable in terms of their design, how they relate to the building and street scene, that they are accessible for people with disabilities, and provide an adequate level of security.

“All of these requirements are met and, as such, the objections cannot be substantiated.”