Pub garden objection

NEW plans to extend the beer garden at a Henley pub have been opposed by town councillors.

J D Wetherspoon wants to make changes both inside and outside the Catherine Wheel in Hart Street and has revised a proposal which it submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council earlier this year.

It has changed the interior layout slightly but still wants to expand into a parking area at the back of the listed building, removing seven bays.

Town councillors are concerned that visitors would have to park elsewhere, contributing to congestion, and that the changes would affect rubbish collections and access for emergency vehicles.

Similar plans submitted in 2015 were withdrawn after objections.

Speaking at a planning committee meeting on Tuesday, Councillor Simon Smith said: “This seems to come up so many times and we’ve always said the same thing. I don’t have a problem with any aspect of the plan other than the loss of spaces, which is unacceptable for the number of people that visit.”