Raymond Blanc's company has appealed a refusal to transform a much-loved village pub in Little Marlow into a high-end eatery owned by the celebrity chef, after plans were thrown out earlier this year due to parking concerns.

Wycombe District Council’s (WDC) planning committee binned The White Brasserie Co's proposals to expand The King's Head, in Church Road – which closed in March this year – following opposition from residents and Little Marlow Parish Council.

The original proposals outlined 28 parking spaces for the development, including two for staff, to fit in line with the Buckinghamshire Countywide Parking Guidance.

However WDC councillors argued that two parking spaces would not facilitate the 20 full-time members off staff that would work at the pub, adding that there is no alternative parking nearby.

Now The White Brasserie Company Ltd has appealed the refusal, saying it has made provisions for off-site car parking for staff at the Little Marlow Athletics Track, which is managed by The Adventure Learning Foundation trust on behalf of Wycombe District Council.

In a letter to Brasserie Bar Co’s property director Jeremy Brown, Amanda Foister, CEO of Longridge Activity Centre, wrote: “I am happy to confirm that there will always be a minimum of 15 parking spaces available at the ALFletics track in Little Marlow for your staff members.

“We can discuss making more available for special events.”

But the parish council said these provisions “make no difference” to their original decision to object to the plans.

Chairman Valerie Brownridge said: “We appreciated the opportunity to have dialogue with the applicants, however we are disappointed with their reluctance to address the problem of parking.

“The council questions the calculation made by the applicant of the number of parking spaces which need to be provided based on the gross floor area of the premises.

“The parish council believes that the calculation should be based on the total floor area of the premises – i.e. taking into account all floors of the building, and not just the ground floor.”

In a revised design and access statement, The White Brasserie Company said if planning permission was not granted, they would be forced to abandon the 17th century pub.

They wrote: “The public house is a valuable community facility for Little Marlow but significant investment is required to bring it up to modern commercial standards.

“The proposed removal of staff parking from the pub car park would alleviate pressure on the pub car parks and allow more room for customers.

“There are no other viable options for creating more car parking at the site and this is therefore considered to be the most appropriate solution in order to allow the pub to fully reopen.”