Residents support plan to add new bedrooms at pub

PLANS have been submitted for a major refurbishment of The Horns pub in Crazies Hill.

Angela Collis, a director of Horns Hospitality, wants permission to build two en suite bedrooms to let out to guests on the upper floor.

Changes are also proposed for the layout of the downstairs area to increase trading space and replace a gazebo with an timber-framed and slate-based one and solar panels on the south-west portion of the roof.

A small external kitchen is also proposed so the pub can offer outside dining.

Decking is also set to be removed along with two sheds before a new one is proposed to be built.

A group of residents bought the former Brakspear pub in March last year to safeguard the “beating heart” of the village after it had been closed for 18 months.

Numerous people had tried to make a success of the premises for the last 15 years but found trading a challenge.

Horns Hospitality, a consortium comprising 37 investors, bought the pub for £753,000 with negotiations led by managing director Dave Smith and fellow directors Phil Davies, Justin McKeegan and Ms Collis. Residents have written in support of the application to Wokingham Borough Council, the housing authority.

Karen Howells, of High Street, said: “I’m definitely in support of this. I’ve always loved this pub and it could be such an asset to Crazies Hill and the surrounding areas. It’s a lovely place to go for community feel.

“It is a great idea to add the bedrooms. I would love to be able to visit the pub and for it to be a success.”

Charles Pettican, of Cockpole Green, said: “We’ve lived in the village for 20 years and seen many landlords struggle to have a viable business. The addition of the two bedrooms, the break from the Brakspear’s tie plus the outdoor area changes will make it a better business proposition.

“The plans submitted, I wholeheartedly support. The pub is at the heart of the village social life and its success will support the fabric of the village as well as create local employment.”

Hugh Whitfield, of Bowsey Hill in Wargrave, said: “Unless the project is allowed to go ahead, the building will deteriorate and will never be restored as the costs will escalate.

“To avoid an eyesore in the middle of this picturesque village, there needs to be a vision of the future and this application provides an exciting and viable new way forward that retains all the important external and internal features of the listed building.”

Wargrave and Charvil parish councils had said they will not objection to the plans.

Charvil councillor Katrin Harding said: “The applicant has carefully considered how to most sensitively retain and restore this heritage building, while adapting to allow successful use as a country pub.

“A thriving pub will not only restore a valuable community asset but also give more people the opportunity to interact with the history of the building as it moves into a new chapter.”

Architect Heritage Revival in Wokingham said in a planning statement: “The Horns is the only remaining public house in the hamlets of Crazies Hill, Cockpole Green and nearby Warren Row.

“Its closure has been a huge loss for the community for whom this is the main local venue to meet. The strength of the community desire to retain this local landmark inspired the creation of Horns Hospitality.

“The proposals seek to enhance the community asset of The Horns for wider public benefit across a range of interrelated factors, the appropriate re-use of the historic environment, the rural economy, the reduction in carbon footprint and the development of a community asset to meet local amenity needs.”

In April last year, Mr Smith told the Henley Standard that the group wanted to secure the long-term future of the venue with the idea that the upstairs accomodation would attract visitors from the surrounding area.

He said: “We are not going to be a community pub in a sense that some pubs are. Although there are 37 shareholders, there are four directors who are in charge of running it and we have told everybody that there are no perks — everyone is still a customer.

“As soon as the pub starts making a profit, money will be paid to the shareholders. Everybody is so pleased at the prospect of the Horns opening again. The pub is the beating heart of the community.”

The borough council will make the final decision in due course.