Progress being made on converting derelict pub

PROGRESS is being made to transform a closed pub in Wargrave into a wine bar, B&B and shop.

The Greyhound, in High Street, has been closed since December 2021 following the retirement of Steve Linstead as its tenant landlord.

Work has been progressing since January last year to turn the pub into a wine bar, guest house and shop.

The project is being undertaken by Sarah and Nick Hart, who also run H’Artisan, a café located further along the High Street.

Recently, H’Artisan won licensing consent to change the layout of the building, removing a disabled toilet to increase the size of the kitchen, reconfiguring the toilets in the bar area and removing the wall between the main bar and the wine bar.

Businesses require variations of licensed premises when sales areas increase.

The change was approved by Wokingham Borough Council’s licensing department after a statutory consultation that ended last month.

Although it is unclear how long the shop and bar will stay open, a planning statement clarified that the pub was allowed to stay open until 1am. Future guests will be able to make use of four en suite double bedrooms on the first floor. A separate outbuilding will provide a two-storey flexible office space.

A planning agent from Montagu Evans wrote: “The proposals will preserve and enhance the site and will deliver tangible benefits, including greatly improving the limited retail offering of Wargrave while also providing a community use which will benefit residents and visitor accommodation, which will increase tourism.”

Construction is underway after permission to change the use of the Greyhound Inn was approved by the council in July 2023.

Since then, a series of adjustments and detailed plans has been submitted. The council approved a series of adjustments to the project last summer.

These involved lowering the height of an existing chimney due to safety implications, replacing windows and external doors with timber-framed double glazing, and alterations to the exterior of the office outbuilding.

In January last year, scaffolding was installed around the pub building, which was removed earlier this year.