A plan to build flats at the back of a pub near Reading town centre has been rejected over concerns about the venue’s future.
Developers were hoping to knock down the defunct office building at 10 Eaton Place and replace it with a five-storey residential building containing 15 flats.
However, concerns about the impact the flats could have on The Butler, a Grade II-listed pub, has meant developer Hamble Residential’s hopes to get the project approved were dashed.
The plan was discussed at a council planning meeting.
Steve Stanton, owner of The Butler pub, objecting, said: “The encroachment on our boundary of a residential block with balconies and windows directly overlooking our vibrant site will undoubtedly lead to noise complaints, as is common with so many venues across the UK.
“Noise complaints inevitably lead to restrictions which cause additional expense, such as noise proofing and sound limiters, this in turn hits revenue, which finally risks the viability of the venue.”
He added that hosting music is a fundamental part of The Butler, saying that the pub has three events in the next three days, and a live rehearsal on Sunday.
Mr Stanton also called the design of the building “ugly and aggressive”.
Members of the committee sympathised with his arguments.
Cllr John Ennis (Labour, Southcote) was ‘not convinced’ that enough has been done to mitigate the noise from The Butler pub and The Facebar nearby.
He said: “Anywhere else it wouldn’t be much of a problem, to be honest. It’s been put right on top of a pub.
“I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I was born and reared in Reading, I’ve used a lot of pubs including that one, a love-hate relationship with a lot of them, and lots have gone for various reasons.
“I really get quite upset when I walk down London Street and see The After Dark lying there, it was a great venue. You look at it and think, ‘them bands play there’.
“And yet it was complaints by people moving in near to what was a proper club for a long time, and over years, people make noise complaints, and then environmental officers have to act.
“The Butler is a really good venue, I went into it on a Friday night and it is an excellent venue.
“These venues are crucial to the wellbeing of our community.”
The plan had been recommended for approval by council offices, who welcomed the provision of four three-bedroom family-sized affordable rent homes and judged the noise assessment and mitigation measures submitted to be acceptable.
Mr Stanton argued that the noise assessments undertaken were ‘not good enough’, adding: “There’s no mitigation there that is worth its salt”.
Ultimately, councillors sided against the plan (reference 201104), with Cllr Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey) introducing a motion to refuse which was seconded by Cllr Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley).
The scheme was unanimously refused by members of the council’s planning applications committee at a meeting on Wednesday, November 1.
Mr Stanton’s own plan to add a 19-bed hotel to The Bulter (reference 230558) was validated last month.
