One of Britain's top restaurants is ordered to tear down wooden pergola for diners eating outside after complaints it 'looked like a Jewson'
An award-winning restaurant in a historic market town has been ordered to tear down a wooden pergola after locals said it looked like a builders merchants.
The wooden structure appeared outside the Dough and Brew and allowed diners to eat outdoors, but furious locals said it 'looked like a branch of Jewson'.
Boss John Martin said the structure allowed the pizzeria to cater for more customers while complying with social distancing rules.
The wooden structure appeared outside the Dough and Brew and allowed diners to eat outdoors, but furious locals said it 'looked like a branch of Jewson'
Boss John Martin said the structure allowed the pizzeria to cater for more customers while complying with social distancing rules
The eatery opened just yards from Warwick Castle in 2016 and was voted the UK's best restaurant two years later.
But council chiefs ruled the new 10ft-tall structure breached planning laws because the restaurant is in a conservation area.
IT consultant Sue Taylor, 50, said: 'Considering the care which goes into their dishes, the pergola looks like a dozen planks were nailed together over a lunch hour.
'It looks more like a branch of Jewson than a nice restaurant.'
Retired business owner David Morris, 67, added: 'Everybody knows how hard businesses are finding it since coronavirus but standards must be kept.
'I'm afraid this bodged pergola, which frankly looks more like fence panels, does not cut the mustard. I'm relieved the council feel the same.'
Planning officers ruled at a council meeting last week that the pergola 'harmed the look of the surrounding area'.
Council chiefs ruled the new 10ft-tall structure breached planning laws because the restaurant is in a conservation area
Restaurant boss Mr Martin said that the capacity inside the restaurant had halved since coronavirus restrictions were introduced.
He said that the restaurant 'is not located in an overly prominent part of the conservation area' and is in a 'quiet corner of the town'.
Mr Martin added: 'We plan to complete the work to a high standard and are happy to work with officers to agree to landscaping features and materials.'
Bosses of the restaurant now have a month to remove the pergola or face possible further action
He now has a month to remove the pergola or face possible further action.
Warwick District Council's development manager Gary Fisher said the 'key issues' with the pergola is the impact it has on the 'character and appearance of the conservation area'.
He says that 'benefits could be achieved by an alternative structure with an improved design and appearance which would be more acceptable in a conservation area.'