Chichester bar refurbishment refused after three years

Woodie’s Brasserie and Bar in St Pancras applied for planning permission for new signage on the shop front, canopy and lighting, painting a wall in the rear of the building and a timber screening by the staircase.

The plans also included the installation of a CCTV camera and a new menu board.

Owners made the application to Chichester District Council in September 2020 but only received notice that the plans had been refused this month.

A letter citing the planning committee’s reasoning read: “The rear timber screening, the CCTV camera and menu board would have a harmful impact upon the historic interest of the listed building and its setting. As a result, the proposal is contrary to Section 66(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990."

It added: “Insufficient information has been provided in the form of scaled elevations/diagrams of the proposed signage. Therefore the impact on the special interest of the listed building cannot be properly assessed and the proposal fails to comply with Section 66(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.”

The bar opened in a 1972 and has swapped ownership a number of times over the years.