Angry residents have attacked a planning application to convert a Grade II listed former pub into an ‘Argos-style’ car showroom and coffee shop.
The George Inn at 12 Post Office Lane, George Green, near Slough, is a pub with “demonstrable architectural interest first cited in 1875”.
Plans for a car dealership on the site include a ‘barista-style coffee shop’ next to a reception area where customers can browse the cars for sale on computer tablets.
Applicant Langdon Realty Limited, which owns the site, said in its design statement that it will hold a maximum of 37 cars at a time.
However, a Google Street View image from June 2023 shows that that this number appears to have been exceeded in the past.
The developer also proposed keeping the George Inn’s historic ceiling and said that other original features such as the fireplaces may be restored.
But the plans have been savaged by scores of local residents who have objected due to concerns over road, safety, pollution, parking, flooding and even the barking of a dog on the site.
READ MORE: Historic George Inn conversion plans incite local objections
In a letter of objection Simon Whewell wrote: “We are already seeing a massive impact to the area due to the sheer amount of cars being stored in and outside the property.
“People’s drives have been blocked; cars are being left in inconsiderate places.”
Multiple residents criticised the “many cars squashed up into one place” that are said to be on the site, which one person dubbed a “fire hazard”.
Helen Stack wrote: “There are far more than 37 cars on site, and more untaxed cars are being parked on either side of Post Office Lane and on the footway.”
The neighbour also raised concerns about flooding, saying that “most of the site” has already been concreted over.
Sandra Patterson was among those to raise concerns over pollution, saying that exhaust smoke from vehicles being serviced with engines left running “filled the neighbours’ houses with hazardous fumes”.
The resident was among those who took issue with a dog on the development site, which “barks through most of the night”.
She wrote: “Noise complaints have been raised regarding the incessant barking and howling of the owner’s dog.
“This is affecting my health and wellbeing not to mention the fact that the dog is clearly lonely and every night sees hours of her barking.
“She is also allowed to roam freely during the day and has been spotted fouling neighbours gardens.”
To view the planning application, use the reference number PL/23/3393/FA in the Chiltern & South Bucks planning portal.
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