Thatchers to transform Railway Inn

Plans for the development of the Railway Inn site (Image: Archant)

A public consultation took place last week, and about 200 people from the village and surrounding area dropped in to see the plans and leave feedback.

The Sandford company plans to keep the original façade and name, but the older buildings round the back of the pub will be taken down and redeveloped to be more user-friendly, if the plans go ahead.

The company hopes to create a garden area, function room and eight bedrooms for overnight guests. In phase two of the development, the Thatchers Cider Shop could move onto the site.

The new development could also potentially create 40 new jobs, and would be finished by spring 2015.

Owner of Thatchers Cider, Martin Thatcher, said: “The pub should be the centre of the village along with the church.

“It is a big project for us to do but we want to make a good job out of it. It seems a long way away but it is important if we do it, we do it well. We want the Railway to become a hub, to put the heart back into the village. It should be a place where people will meet to go for a drink.

“We want to make it family orientated as well, as the village has a lot of families and I am a family man myself.”

The full range of Thatchers’ ciders will be on offer, as well as wines and real ale. The company has not yet decided what food will be on offer, as it is waiting for feedback from the villagers.

Mr Thatcher said: “I believe this is about doing something good for the village rather than just running a pub for the sake of it. We’re hoping to secure the future of the Railway Inn for years to come.”

Thatchers will submit its planning application to North Somerset Council in October.

For anyone who was unable to make the public consultation, the boards will be on view at the farm open day on September 14 and on www.thatcherscider.co.uk