Controversy at Fleetwood pub over plans to extend outdoor seating and add glass balustrade
Plans to increase outdoor seating and add decking and a glass balustrade at a popular Fleetwood pub are proving controversial.
Brewery Greene King has applied to Wyre planners for permission to introduce the new features to the Mount Hotel pub, a redbrick Victorian building in a conservation area on Fleetwood seafront.
The application is for a new raised extended terrace with new 1500mm toughened glass windbreak balustrade, along with new landscaped planting to screen the timber fascia of support to the raised terrace area.
But the proposals have not gone down well with the residents who live in apartments over the pub and restaurant, on the corner of The Esplanade and Blakiston Street.
There have been 10 objections lodged with Wyre planners, arguing that the proposals will spoil the appearance of the building and lead to an increase in noise late at night.
Siobhan Smith, 57, a resident who lives above the pub, is also one of three directors of the Mount Executive Company, which looks after the building on behalf of the owner and liaises with the leaseholders of the 15 apartments.
She said: “These proposals would make a mockery of what is a much loved Victorian building in a conservation area, part of the heritage of the town and which has hosted the Beatles and Winston Churchill.
"It is a hidden gem and the proposals are completely out of keeping with the rest of the building.
"When things are busy we already have to close our windows just to hear the radio or the TV or even hear ourselves think.
“I am keen to see the pub thrive but not at the cost of the well being of the residents.”
There are no objections from Wyre’s conservation officer.
A spokesperson for Greene King, on behalf of The Mount pub, said: “We take feedback from the community very seriously and have held meetings at the pub with local residents to discuss the plans for the refurbishment.
"Our planning application will retain the Victorian charm of the pub, while updating its current look and feel.
"To make the outside area safer for customers, we need to remove the steep slope currently at the front of the building. We will also continue to operate within the licensing hours already granted by the council and in place.”