Plans lodged for revamp of White Hart pub at Pennington

Formal plans have now been submitted for the expansion and refurbishment of The White Hart at Pennington.

The proposals have been lodged by new owners Heartwood Collection, who acquired the pub in April.

According to a planning statement, the main external proposal is for a single storey rear extension to replace an existing timber pergola, which will provide additional customer seating.

An existing set of double doors will be removed to provide an opening through from the main pub building.

The play equipment in the garden will be removed and a patio area will be created around the new extension.

In the southern section of the building, the existing bar will be replaced and extended into the smaller lounge area, and existing toilets will be converted to a new customer seating area.

Proposed elevations (Image: RTSAN)

The northern section of the pub will be used as the kitchen, which will require the removal of modern partitioning and some new studwork walls.

The existing storage area will be removed and replaced with a new back of house area, and the existing timber shelter to the south of the pub will be removed and a new picket fence installed.

No changes are proposed to the existing car park at the pub.

Heartwood Collection said the extension is ‘essential for the viability of the public house going forward’, and the proposed alterations to the building would ‘improve its appearance and condition, helping the pub make a more positive contribution to the street scene and this part of Lymington’.

The scheme was developed following pre-application advice, with the size of the rear extension reduced as a result of pre-application discussions.

A decision is yet to be made on the planning application.

The White Hart, which was previously owned by the Stonegate group, closed suddenly in March 2023 amid reports that new tenants were being sought to run the premises.

The Milford Road pub reopened but closed again at the start of this year.