A pub will soon be turned into a home after the council’s rejection to the plan was overturned for the site between Bracknell and Maidenhead.
The Wellington Pub Company applied to convert the New Leathern Bottle off Maidenhead Road in Jealotts Hill into a four-bedroom home back in October 2021.
However, the plan was refused by Bracknell Forest Council’s planning department, with council officer Basia Polnik arguing that the conversion would result in a ‘unacceptable loss of a community asset’.
But the conversion of the pub into a home can now go ahead as the plan has been allowed on appeal to the government’s planning inspectorate.
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In a decision report, inspector Lewis Condé noted the pub has been closed for two years (since September 2020), and sided with Wellington Pub Company’s assessment that its continued use as a pub is economically unviable.
The appeal report states: “The site is in a location with a small local population and no significant local attractions to draw potential customers.
“There is no robust evidence before me to demonstrate that the use of the
building as a public house, or other community facility remains viable.”
Mr Condé acknowledged that, while the pub was not designated an Asset of Community Value, it did serve a community function that will be lost, as it hosted a wide range of events such as annual fares, karaoke, darts, charity events and nights for elderly residents to socialise.
However, he concluded that the pub was demonstrated to be unviable and no interest to retain it had been expressed to him.
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The decision to allow the appeal means work can start on the conversion.
This work will involve removing the bar, changing the men’s toilet into a home toilet, the women’s toilet into a utility room, and making the kitchen fit for home use.
The pub currently has two bedrooms, so two of the rooms on the first floor would be converted into new bedrooms.
One of the bedrooms will benefit from an ensuite shower, with an existing bathroom available for the use of future occupants.
The pub had a sizeable garden and a distinctive anthromorphic play feature for children, which was seen removed by from the site in imagery from November 2022.
It also benefits from its own bottle bank, which is likely to be replaced with external storage and covered space for four bikes.
A site plan shows three car parking spaces provided.
The nearest open pub to Jealott’s Hill is the Shepherds House in Moss End, Warfield.
You can view the approved application by typing reference 21/00925/FUL into the council’s planning portal or appeal reference APP/R0335/W/22/3301265 into the planning inspectorate website.
The decision to allow the appeal was made on December 13, 2022.
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