Application to turn The Plough Inn, Thatcham into flats approved

Permission to turn a Grade-II listed pub into flats has been granted.

The Plough Inn, located on the corner of Chapel Street and Stoney Lane in Thatcham, has been closed since 2017.

And now a proposal by Sandstone Estates Ltd to transform the site into five residential flats has been approved by West Berkshire Council, subject to conditions.

The pub will be converted into three flats with a shared communal garden, while the rear plot will be occupied by two purpose-built flats, with private gardens.

Ten parking spaces, 14 bicycle parking spaces, waste storage and other ancillary works are also included in the proposal.

Listed building consent has been granted.

The applicant must meet a list of conditions before any development can take place.

These include ensuring the external materials used respect the character and appearance of the area, and that an adequate record is kept of any architectural, historical or archaeological items of interest.

Provision for electric vehicles and tree protection must also be made, and the footway fronting the site must be resurfaced before any property is occupied.

The windows of flats overlooking neighbouring properties must also be fitted with obscure glass in the interests of privacy.

The inn is understood to date back to the 17th century.

Thatcham historian Nick Young placed the earliest confirmed record of the building as an inn to 1795, under Edward Farrow.

It stayed with the Farrow family until 1860.

In November 1888, the body of an infant was discovered in the roof.

And in 1894, Thatcham Football Club played their first recorded match, using The Plough as their base.