Comedian Russell Brand is facing opposition over his plans to create a recording studio at his 15th century pub. The star has submitted an application to change the use of his garage to a studio where he will record his You Tube channel.
Brand had already angered locals by purchasing the only pub in the village of Pishill, Henley-on-Thames, for £850,000 - and announcing plans to turn it into a vegan restaurant. Now, his company - named Pablo Diablo's Legitimate Business Firm Ltd - has applied to South Oxfordshire District Council for further alterations at the Grade II-listed The Crown.
Planning documents reveal that Brand, 47, is keen to get the work done as soon as possible before the launch of a new show on September 25. The pub, used as a popular wedding venue, is temporarily closed and being used as accommodation for Brand's freelance staff.
The property comprises outdoor seating, a car park, a detached barn, a two-bedroom cottage and a garage. Planning documents to support the application state: "The entire property has recently undergone a change of ownership and the public house is temporarily closed whilst plans to refurbish the building and formulate the nature of the new establishment are put in place.
"The intention is to reopen the public house in due course. In the meantime, it is being occupied in part by staff working on a freelance basis for the applicant.
"Delivery of the new studio will mean that the production staff can be relocated to it and that plans for reopening the public house can be driven forward."
One neighbour has already opposed the plans, citing a stand-up show Mr Brand put on in The Barn, which is part of the pub. She wrote: "A performance by Russell Brand of his stand-up show has provided a taste of life under the new owners: there were cars left anyhow and everywhere, double and triple parked with at least eight on the proposed development site.
"It is therefore our considered opinion that The Crown cannot currently sustain the business model adopted by the owners due to an insufficient number of parking spaces when all areas, ie the offices, studios and performance venue (The Barn) are operational and that as Russell and Laura Brand continue to become more successful, as I hope and am sure they will be, the parking and road safety issues will only become worse."
The Environmental Protection team and Pishill with Stonor Parish Council have also cited concerns over the impact of noise. On August 16, the former wrote: "No development shall take place until a scheme for the control of noise from the building has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority."
The parish council added that it wanted to see some progress on the reopening of the pub before any additional uses are considered. Mr Brand and his wife Laura, who live in Henley, bought The Crown in March 2020. He has said the pub will reopen and be refurbished once his recording studio has been built. The target decision date is set for September 27.
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