Planning round-up: Windsor Wetherspoon refurb proposals and former Cookham pub to be turned into home 

These are the latest planning applications for Windsor and Maidenhead.

Pending: A Windsor pub has put forward proposals to refurbish its staff areas once again after similar plans were refused by the council.

J D Wetherspoon put forward proposals to refurbish staff areas and the manager’s accommodation at its King and Castle pub in Thames Street.

Similar plans were turned down by the council last year because ‘insufficient information’ was provided to assess the impact the works would have on heritage assets.

Now new plans have been submitted, complete with a heritage impact assessment.

The King and Castle is a Grade II-listed building which was originally a chemist’s shop but was turned into a pub in 1967.

A bust of Edward VII above the passageway of the pub and an engraving of Windsor Castle are still retained.

The design and access statement, submitted by DV Architects as part of the application, said the existing staff room and change facilities do not meet ‘user comfort standards’.

It said that the manager’s flat on the second floor of the site is currently unoccupied.

If the plans are approved, the current storeroom, one of the bedrooms and part of the lounge in the manager’s accommodation will be turned into new changing areas and toilets for staff.

J D Wetherspoon was also looking to change the flooring inside the pub, decorate the walls and ceilings inside and update the lighting.

Two new doors with ironmongery and signs would also be installed.

Application documents said all the planned works are ‘reversible and sympathetic’ to the listed building, ensuring its historic character is preserved.

Visit rbwm.gov.uk and enter the planning reference number 26/00691 in the council’s planning portal to view the plans.

Pending: A hotel in Windsor High Street is seeking permission to carry out refurbishment works.

The Castle Hotel, a Grade II-listed building at 18 High Street, submitted an application to the Royal Borough to renovate its ground floor.

For the entrance way and reception area, works include the removal of modern signs and floor finish, which will be replaced with wayfinding signs as well as marble-effect ceramic flooring.

In the tap room, new banquette-style seating is planned, with the bar area to be relocated.

The dining area will see a new breakfast counter, new lighting and new timber floorboards.

If the application is approved, the doors of the manager’s office, currently used as a private dining room, will be removed and replaced to widen the entrance.

Visit rbwm.gov.uk and enter the planning reference number 26/00631 in the council’s planning portal to view the plans.

Approved: Plans to turn a vacant pub in Cookham Dean, which has become ‘a sad shadow of its former self’ have been given the go-ahead.

The Chequers in Dean Lane was originally turned into a public house back in the 19th century and was last used as an Indian restaurant, which closed in 2018.

The previous owners wanted to extend the building and create a cookery school on-site. The plans were approved, but the project didn’t come to fruition.

Last year, two Cookham residents were looking to bring the Grade II-listed building back into use as a self-build family home.

The application was refused because it would have been harmful to the greenbelt.

At the time, a planning officer said the greenhouse, carport and gates that were planned as part of the pub’s refurbishment were considered to be new buildings.

This made the development inappropriate as a result.

Revised plans for the conversion of the building were submitted, which omit the gates and greenhouse previously proposed.

The carport will also be replaced by a lower-scale structure of mounted PV panels instead.

As part of the application documents, DP Architects showed pictures of the condition of The Chequers in 2018, with the ‘cramped bar area’ and a ‘substandard and cramped kitchen.’

The couple who put forward the application are now looking to ‘take on the vital role of saving this Grade II-listed building’ which is now ‘a sad shadow of its former self’, application documents said.