Children will be kept awake at night if a pub’s plans to extend its opening hours and sell alcohol outdoors are approved, worried neighbours have warned.

Management at the White Oak pub on The Pound in Cookham wants to be allowed to sell alcohol as early as 9am and late as midnight. But one neighbour has told the Roual Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead that their children are already kept awake at night by noise from the pub.

In a letter of objection the neighbour said: “Three of our bedrooms face out directly onto The Pound and on evenings where the White Oak already have private parties, we are unable to sleep due to the excessive noise and patrons lingering outside.

“The noise is excessive, and our children are unable to sleep until the evening comes to a close and party goers return home. The extension of this licence as prescribed will create more of a public nuisance and seriously affect our ability to sleep.”


READ MORE: Wing Day food festival to go ahead after noise concern


Other neighbours objected to plans to be allowed to sell alcohol in the pub’s beer garden and the area at the front. They said this would ‘significantly increase the risk of noise nuisance to neighbouring residential properties’.

Managers of the White Oak have applied for permission to open from 8am in the morning to half past midnight every day, and to sell alcohol from 9am to midnight.

They also want permission to play live and recorded music from 10am on New Year’s Eve until 1am on New Year’s Day, and to sell alcohol until 1am on New Year's Day.

Plans say signs at the entrance will ask customers to respect neighbours, and that outside areas will be monitored by managers and staff. They say all windows and doors will be kept closed when recorded or live music is played.

Thames Valley Police has said it will not object to the proposals as long as the pub operates a CCTV system.

Management company Brucan Pubs says it was ‘committed’ to keeping the White Oak a ‘successful and popular’ pub ‘at the heart of the community’.

James Lyon-Shaw, founder and director of Brucan Pubs, said: “The White Oak has long been at the heart of the community in Cookham and as proud custodians of this successful and popular pub we are committed to keeping it that way, maintaining its operation as a quality dining venue in line with our other successful and award winning pubs.

“However, the current premises licence held by the pub is outdated and as a responsible pub business we need to update it to reflect modern licensing objectives as required by law.”

Councillors on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s licensing sub-committee are set to consider the application on Monday, September 2.