Pub renovation plan is criticised

'UNSYMPATHETIC' PROPOSAL IS APPROVED

- By ALISON STEPHENSON Local Democracy Reporter

A HISTORIC pub in the Stonehouse area of Plymouth which has seen better days is to be refurbished and extended.

However, "extensive" work at The Vine Hotel, which includes raising the height of the roof and adding dormer windows, rooflights, balconies and a first-floor extension for staff, has worried neighbours, who fear overdevelopment.

Plymouth City Council planning officers said the redesigned roof space would be "highly visible", given the prominent nature of the building near the waterfront. There would also be a reduction in daylight to some neighbouring properties, they admitted.

The officers' opinion was that the application was "finely balanced", but the public benefits of retaining the pub and upgrading historic facades outweighed any harm. The council's historic environment team said the impact on the Stonehouse Peninsula Conservation Area would be "negligible".