Fine dining restaurant to open at old Loch Fyne site

A NEW restaurant is to open in Henley.

Crockers Henley will be based at the former Loch Fyne restaurant in Market Place, which closed in May last year after almost two decades in the town.

Unique Dining, which owns the brand, plans to use the first floor as a hotel as it was previously Milsoms Hotel.

The company already runs Crockers Tring, which was featured in MasterChef Professionals — The Rematch in December and has been awarded a Michelin Plate.

The restaurant is said to provide a fine dining experience with British seasonal food served to customers seated around the kitchen so they can see it being
prepared.

Unique Dining was keen to have a second operation in Henley.

Craig Slack, senior planner at the Turley planning consultancy in Reading, said: “The reasons include the town’s historical character and its hosting of the royal regatta, a world-renowned cultural event.

“Unique Dining wants the new restaurant to be within a building that has historical character and will provide a more interesting dining experience for its customers.

“The seven hotel bedrooms will be retained and will form part of the business.”

The company has submitted a planning application to South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, to refurbish the building and is also seeking listed building consent.

It plans to carry out alterations on the ground floor to create the kitchen, dining, bar and reception areas and install a new lightweight glazed roof over part of the courtyard.

Unique Dining will apply separately for permission for an awning and new signage. A design and access statement says: “The existing building was built in the mid-1700s and the front portion is of particular historic interest in the context of Henley town centre.

“The building is characterised by a long history of alterations ranging from a substantial residential townhouse to various types of commercial purposes, most recently involving the hospitality trade.

“The key objective of this proposal is to retain the commercial viability of the building while respecting its heritage and funding its ongoing maintenance and upkeep. The proposed use is financially viable, will fund a well-designed and sensitive internal and external refurbishment and add a new dimension to hospitality available in Henley.”

The district council will make a decision by July 5.

The Tring restraurant was previously in Potten End, near Berkhamsted.