A pub has submitted fresh plans to establish a hotel after its original proposals were refused over concerns it would negatively impact its countryside setting.
Ye Olde Leathern Bottel on Barkham Road had plans to expand to provide 13 beds, but these were refused by Wokingham Borough Council in August.
Pub bosses wanted to renovate the kitchen and dining area of the pub, and expand its first floor to provide five rooms. They also wanted to create eight more rooms in a separate building outside of the existing pub.
This was rejected by Wokingham Borough Council over concerns it would have a negative impact on the character and appearance of the countryside area.
The authority also took issue with the plans as it would ‘erode’ the area between Barkham and Wokingham.
Not enough parking had been planned for the increased number of cars, the council said.
New plans that have now been submitted by Monoporo Limited to include a lower number of rooms for potential occupants.
While the same loft conversion has been proposed, the applicant is no longer seeking to build a new building outside of the pub.
This brings the total number of rooms down to five, and would be contained in the existing building.
Pegasus Group, on behalf of the applicants, said this will ‘.. support the pub’s offering by providing self-contained overnight accommodation for short leisure and business trips in a semi-rural setting, but with excellent access to Wokingham town centre and the motorway network’.
Rooms will have ‘.. an intimate feel’ and be ‘.. reflective of its country pub heritage’, according to the plans.
But plans to create an access point to the west of the site off Barkham Road have sparked criticism from neighbours. Those who objected to original plans were worried that a hotel would worsen traffic on surrounding roads.
Car parking spaces would be reduced from 60 to 46, which some argued was ‘counter intuitive’ with the creation of the hotel.
But Pegasus Group said the design of the highway access and car parking had been ‘.. carefully planned to ensure that the site operates safely’.
Many of the same objectors claim that no improvements have been made to the fresh plans.
One wrote that he considered the proposal to ‘.. threaten the heritage of Ye Olde Leathern Bottel, the surrounding environment and the local community’.
The application has been validated by Wokingham Borough Council and a decision is yet to be made.
