Country pub submits plans to 'secure future'
Frilsham's renowned Pot Kiln applies for guest rooms
VISITORS to a famous West Berkshire pub might be able to stay overnight if plans are approved.
Directors of the Pot Kiln in Frilsham want to demolish an open store and replace it with four-bedroom guest accommodation.
They also want to renovate and extend the kitchen and dining area and the pub’s 13 car parking spaces will be expanded to 22.
A message from pub director and chef Mike Robinson, famous for his TV appearances and books on game cookery, said: “This year sees our twelfth year at the Pot Kiln and we want to ensure that this wonderful community asset continues for many decades to come.
“Today, country pubs, alongside great food, service and hospitality also need to provide quality accommodation if they are to remain viable.
“It goes without saying that the bar and restaurant will stay the same and not lose their character.
“Our rooms will be equipped to a fabulous standard, very much in keeping with the country feel of the pub.”
The Pot Kiln was ranked in the top 50 gastropubs in the country in 2013 and regularly featured in the CAMRA good pub guide.
The pub was also placed sixth out of 15 of the top pubs in the country and in a feature promoting pubs with the prettiest walks in Britain.
The plans, submitted by Katherine Robinson, said that the Pot Kiln faced the challenge of depending on good weather and weekend trade to survive.
“Accordingly, the Pot Kiln is determined to maintain an affordable communal inn for its locals and so believes that providing overnight accommodation, for its increasing national and international visitors, will help not only secure its future but provide a conservation opportunity to present its heritage and history to a wider audience.”
Indeed, a ‘Ramblers Package’ offering a ‘Field To Table’ dining experience alongside an overnight stay in a “quintessential English rural community” is being envisioned by directors.
Pub partners are also seeking local support for the pub’s nomination as an asset of community value.
To view and comment on the application enter 16/02795/FUL into West Berkshire Council’s planning website.