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From
https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Louis Walker, 7 March 2026.
Owners of The Berry in Walmer heartbroken as plans approved for
house conversion after failing to find a buyer.
A couple say they are heartbroken after plans to convert their
much-loved pub into a home were approved following an unsuccessful
search for new ownership.
Chris and Harriet Barnes, who have run The Berry in Walmer for more
than 20 years, put their award-winning 19th-century inn on the
market in June last year for £495,000.
But after seven months with no potential buyers, they submitted
plans in December to convert the pub into a home.
The pair had hoped to stay at the site in Canada Road until
retirement, but say several years of financial losses made the
business unviable, making continuing simply unsustainable.
At last week’s meeting of the Dover District Council (DDC) planning
committee, members signed off on the plans.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr and Mrs Barnes issued a joint
statement, saying the pub “has been our home as well as our
livelihood for over 20 years”.
“We’ve raised our children within its walls, celebrated milestones
with customers who became friends, and built a community that has
supported us in more ways we can ever fully express,” they said.
Harriet and Chris Barnes have run The Berry for more than 20 years.
“The community has been vital to our family - not just financially,
but personally and emotionally too.
“This has never been a decision we wanted to make. We hoped the pub
would carry us through to retirement.
“But after several years of financial losses, despite working
additional jobs and trying different ways to make the business
viable, we reached a point where continuing simply isn’t sustainable
for us as a family.”
Despite the approval, the pair added the pub will continue to trade
while they work out what to do next.
The site was once deemed the best in Kent by the Campaign for Real
Ale (CAMRA).
“We still need to carefully consider what conversion would involve,
and nothing changes overnight,” Mr and Mrs Barnes said.
“The pub remains on the market, and if someone comes forward who
wants to take it on, we would genuinely welcome that.
“We are incredibly grateful to our loyal customers and neighbours
who have shown us kindness and understanding throughout this
process.
“The community that has grown around the pub will always mean the
world to us, and we hope to remain part of it for many years to
come.”
The 19th-century pub was put on the market last year.
The proposals include minimal alterations to the site’s exterior,
namely replacing existing French doors with wider patio doors and
adding a cycle and bin storage.
In total, 50 comments in support of the scheme and 14 objections
were logged on DDC’s planning portal.
Julie Platts said: “To convert this pub to a residential home is
sacrilege.
“This public house should be kept as it is because of its heritage.
“Deal is losing so many public houses, and it would be devastating
to the local area.”
But officers recommended the scheme for approval ahead of last
week’s planning committee meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Michael Nee (Lab) said he will be sad
to see the pub go.
“Ever since I moved to this area, I’ve done my utmost to make this
pub viable, and it’s sad to see it go,” he said.
“Unfortunately, in this world, it’s inevitable that some pubs will
fail.
“One of the objections, and it really rankled me, was that they said
the owners didn’t try hard enough to make it work, and, on record,
the owners there have done as much as they could and more.
“It was a quality pub, with a quality environment, and
unfortunately, the economics of it failed it.”
After 20 years of running the site, the couple decided to sell the
pub when Mr Barnes discovered a passion for working as a teaching
assistant.
Opening in 1865 as the "Royal Arms," and located near the former
barracks of the Royal Marines, it changed its name to the "Green
Beret" in 1965 and retained the moniker until the late 1980s.
It was rebranded the "Green Berry" after insurers requested an extra
£5,000 in cash due to its military connections and threats from the
IRA - the green beret being the headwear of Royal Marines commandos.
The pub dropped the ‘Green’ from its name in 2015. |
