'Much loved' village Italian restaurant beats council in battle for new seating area

A ‘much loved’ Italian restaurant in Marlow Bottom has won out in a years long planning battle with Buckinghamshire Council over a new covered seating area.

Da Luca in Kingswood Parade had been twice knocked back for permission to add the new structure over fears it would be an ‘incongruous and intrusive’ addition to the area.

But its latest bid for a metal pergola with glass windows, while again rejected by the council, was allowed on appeal to Government organisation the Planning Inspectorate.

Planning inspector Laura Hudson ruled against the local authority and said the new seating area would make ‘a positive contribution to the quality of the public realm’.

The six-year planning saga began when Gianluca Paletta submitted his first application to Buckinghamshire Council in 2020.

That bid, for an ‘outdoor terrace structure’, was turned down at appeal. A planning inspector said it would ‘unbalance and harmfully dominate’ the small row of shops in Kingswood Parade.

Another application in 2023, for a ‘freestanding timber structure on raised timber platform to provide additional seating’ was also refused by the council.

However, it was third time lucky for Mr Paletta when he applied for a ‘bio-climatic pergola to provide additional seating’ at Da Luca in 2025.

The pergola would replace an existing canvas covering at the front of Da Luca and would provide seating for 16 people. It would have sliding glass panels and a wooden decking floor.

Twelve letters in support of the Italian eatery’s freshly prepared bid were submitted to the council. Marlow Bottom Parish Council also supported the application.

One letter described how Da Luca, ‘a much-loved restaurant’, was ‘a meeting place and a venue for family and friends to meet up and socialise over an excellent meal’.

“It would be a great asset if there was more space for diners,” the letter said.

Another added the restaurant had been ‘extremely supportive of the local community during COVID’ and today, holds coffee mornings for elderly residents’.

It added: “As they supported us in the past they deserve support now to bring about this planning permission.”

However, council officers said the pergola was ‘an incongruous and intrusive feature that would have a harmful impact on the character and appearance’ of the extisting restaurant building and surrounding area.

Further notes from the council said it would be ‘in stark contrast to the neighbouring units’ and would harm ‘the visual coherence of the parade’s facades and the street scene’.

A decision from planning inspector Ms Hudson this month gave the new pergola the go-ahead.

Ms Hudson said: “Whilst the proposed materials would present a more robust appearance than the current canopy and its support framework, their finish would make a positive contribution to the quality of the public realm at this location.

She added: “Overall, I am satisfied that the scheme would not appear more dominant or visually disruptive to the parade’s façades.

“Additionally, it will not result in any discernible change to the perceived sense of permanence within the streetscape.