A HEREFORDSHIRE pub, restaurant and hotel is waiting to hear if it can build an extension so it has enough room for all of its customers.
In August 2022, The Old Court Hotel in Symonds Yat West, near Ross-on-Wye, asked Herefordshire Council for planning permission to replace a single-storey dining room extension, removing a conservatory, and building a larger, but still single-story, flat-roof extension with solar panels and electric car charging points.
But more than seven months after applying for permission, a decision has not yet been made, with the council's target date pushed back from September 27 to April 3.
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In a design and access statement submitted with the plans, consultants said that in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the former dining space within the bar area is no longer used when social distancing requirements are considered.
They say this created pressure on the conservatory dining area, and in busy periods, there has not been enough dining space to safely meet demand.
Whitchurch and Ganarew Group Parish Council said it had no objection to the bid, with no other received.
The proposed replacement of the conservatory with a slightly enlarged and reconfigured dining space will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the business, supporting the restaurant element, which of all the facilities provided by the hotel is of most direct benefit to the local community.
The Old Court Hotel in Symonds Yat West, Whitchurch, Ross-on-Wye, as it is currently. Picture: Google
The overall dining area would be 63sq metres larger than before, if Herefordshire Council planners give the bid the go-ahead.
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The Wye Valley hotel was bought by Jono and Victoria Smith-Milne in 2006, with the couple also asking for listed building consent to carry out the work on the grade II*-listed former manor house, originally built in the 16th century.
Consultants said the extension would be of a higher quality design, with the current rubble stone wall and UPVC-framed conservatory glazed panel replaced with a rendered extension with an oak frame and glazed panel.
The extension would also have a Sedum roof, replacing the current bitumen flat roof and conservatory roof.
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