Swindon Rudi's: Arkell's in third bid for shelter permission

When pubs and bars had to be socially distanced during lockdown, Arkell’s brewery put up a rudimentary steel and Perspex shelter at Rudi’s in Regent Circus to allow the business more space.

That was legal under the temporary rules at the time.

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However, when Arkell’s later tried to get permission to keep the shelter, they were refused twice. 

On the second attempt, the building was changed to meet the council’s requirements, but the local authority still said no. 

An appeal against the second refusal was dismissed by the government's planning inspector last summer, meaning the owner could have been told to take the structure down.

It is still there, and the reason appears to be that Arkell’s have put in a new application to be allowed to have a slightly different structure in place.

The new application says the frame will be slimline steel in anthracite grey and the glazed roof will be shallower to “ensure visibility of the Art Deco facade". 

It adds: “The design minimises visual intrusion by reducing the enclosure height; employs materials that better reflect the building's architectural style; and enhances appreciation of the building’s façade and mitigates previous concerns regarding bulk and incongruity.”

Comments on the plan should be made by July 21, and a decision is expected by August 21.