Plans that would have seen changes to a Wokingham pub and restaurant have been refused by Wokingham Borough Council.
Agents, on behalf of the landlords, had submitted revised plans for Ye Olde Leathern Bottel on Barkham Road that would have seen a single storey extension to the existing public house, to include remodelled pub/kitchen, first floor extension, and loft conversion to create five rooms, along with changes to fenestration and installation of additional roof lights, plus associated changes to access, parking and other ancillary works.
They said: “The proposal 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.
“The accommodation will provide an additional and alternative revenue stream for the pub.”
On December 26, officers refused the plans.
In the decision letter, they wrote: “The proposed development would have a detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the area and countryside by reason of the creation of a new 10-metre wide lane into an open field already served by a functional access, and that fails to link into the permitted turning and parking area associated with the existing public house.
“The increase in hard surfacing and engineering works further away from the existing building and access and loss of vegetation would detrimentally impact the Green Route of Barkham Road, resulting in a harmful encroachment of development away from existing buildings/development and erode the rural gap between Barkham and Wokingham.”
Officials also noted the development would be contrary to sections of the council’s local plan and that the proposal didn;t make adequate provision for car parking.
Barkham Parish Council registered one of more than 100 objections to the plans.
They said: “The proposed access road will contribute nothing to the operation of the pub, [and] will be at the expense of the number of parking bays available which cannot be right.”
