Plans that would have seen the development of a hotel alongside a busy road on the outskirts of Wokingham have been refused by council planning officials.
The application to Wokingham Borough Council by agents for the owners of Ye Olde Leathern Bottel on Barkham Road was for planning permission to extend to the existing public house, to introduce five rooms on the first floor, and for the erection of what was described as an ancillary building to provide a further eight rooms.
Pegasus Group said the introduction of the 13 ensuite bedrooms were to provide overnight accommodation for guests.
The application drew a large amount of objections from local residents, many of whom cited the existing traffic issues as a major concern, and the citing of the exit to the property on a dangerous bend.
In refusing the application, offices said the proposed development would have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the area and countryside, by reason the increase in built form and hard surfacing further away from the existing building and access.
They also noted the loss of vegetation that would detrimentally impact the Green Route of Barkham Road.
They also said the development would result in a harmful encroachment away from existing buildings and development, and would erode the rural gap between Barkham and Wokingham.
They also said that insufficient information had been provided for the Council to determine that the proposal will make adequate provision for car parking.
