High Wycombe: Wendover Arms Hotel extension

Bucks Council has permitted an application by Buckingham Hotel Group for the Wendover Arms Hotel on Desborough Avenue in High Wycombe.

Plans detail a new three-storey block with a link extension to provide 18 bedrooms to the existing hotel.

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It is understood the Wendover Arms Hotel has “approximately 30 rooms”, according to a staff member.

An additional 14 parking spaces will be created, taking the number of bays from 32 to 46.

A new and/or altered vehicle access is also planned.

Wendover Arms Hotel on Desborough Avenue

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The applicant said it was instructed to submit a new application after one “essentially the same” expired having been previously approved.

“As this scheme is fundamentally the same as previously approved and there has been no significant policy changes, we trust there will be no issues in principle,” a cover letter said.

However, there were initial objections from neighbours about possible loss of light, noise disturbance, and road safety when the plans came about.

Mrs Verity Orsel: “These plans have been submitted numerous times. This development should never be allowed to progress, the plans totally imprison my house and garden, will take all the natural light and will overlook my bedrooms and bathrooms.”

Mrs Janet Dell: “It is used by businessmen and a car park full of white vans, they are drinking outside the pub late into the evening and the noise level [is] unacceptable. Loud music is played in the car park at weekends. This is a residential area with children in bed.”

Mrs Nicola Partridge: “As neighbours, we are already afflicted by excessive light pollution from this establishment who keep the strong lighting over their car parks on all night which means the upstairs rooms at the back of the house have to have blackout curtains installed and if you use the bathroom in the middle of the night, you don’t need to turn the lights on because of the glare from their car park lighting.

“There is noise pollution inflicted on the neighbours which means you can’t sit in your garden in the summer months and have a conversation because of the loud music.

“This extension would result in gardens being overlooked constantly which then impacts existing residents’ rights to privacy.”

Mr David Willmot: “The building would be totally out of keeping with the area, which is residential in nature, would overlook several properties and cut light out from at least one. In addition to which we believe that issues regarding road safety have been overlooked.

“Application after application has been turned down for smaller developments on the site.”

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