PLANS have been submitted to Dudley planners to add an outdoor kitchen, bar and seating area in the grounds of a popular Stourbridge pub.

The Old Wharf Inn, on Amblecote High Street, has applied for planning permission to create a new permanent structure to provide a food service plus a covered seating area in its existing outdoor terrace off Canal Street – overlooking the Stourbridge Canal.

A design and access statement submitted to Dudley Council’s planning team says the proposed facility would replace a temporary marquee used as an outdoor seating facility amid the pandemic and it says the plan has been drawn up to improve the customer experience and address “operational and commercial viability issues” given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality sector.

It says the proposed external kitchen/bar would be of “low-profile design with horizontal reclaimed timber cladding, tiled counter to the front and mono-pitched roof finished with corrugated bitumen dark sheets”.

It adds: “The timber structure would have new concrete pad foundations, which will allow this new element to be non-attached to the existing building.

“The kitchen extract would run along the external wall of the building as per specialist design. The ductwork will be of discreet finish and securely fixed to the building. Powder coated in dark or black colour to avoid harmful impact on the heritage of the conservation area.”