A FORMER pub which has fallen into “major disrepair” looks set to be transformed into a high-end restaurant, promising international cuisine, after plans were given the green light by council chiefs.
As previously reported by The Gazette, FMR Developments applied for planning permission to convert the Deane Gate Inn, on the B3400 into a restaurant.
They also asked for permission to build an extension to the historic building to transform it into a “high-end signature restaurant” which will serve international cuisine.
In the application submitted to the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Boyce Associates, acting on behalf of the company, said the property in Deane had fallen into “major disrepair, largely due to a lack of planned maintenance and the effects of the structure due to the age of the property”.
The application added: “By focusing on dining, and creating a high-end signature restaurant, it is more likely to attract clientele from neighbouring areas, which will sustain the business, whilst the ‘pub/bar’ element serves as a supporting aspect to allow local residents to maintain a sense of community within the village.”
The building was originally a coaching house, serving journeys from Andover to London, and has a recorded historical association with Jane Austen, whose family lived in nearby Steventon.
Planning officers from the borough council gave the go-ahead to the restaurant plans under delegated powers last Friday.
The restaurant will provide 96 covers and when construction work is completed, the restaurant will be open between noon and 11pm, seven days a week, including bank holidays.
A spokesman for FMR Developments told The Gazette: “We are extremely pleased and it has been a year since we submitted the revised application. The good thing is that it won’t be a derelict building anymore and we are looking to revitalise the community.
“Our aim is to complete it by the end of this year or the beginning of next year because there are a lot of approvals to go through to meet the conditions.”
A number of conditions have been placed on the development, including a condition that all materials to be used on the building will need to be approved by the borough council and construction work at the site can only take place between 7.30am and 6pm Monday to Friday and between 8am and 1pm on Saturdays.
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