Listed Henley High Street Building Could Become a Restaurant

A listed building at 157 High Street in Henley-in-Arden could become a restaurant, under plans now with the district council. The council’s paperwork names Harbury Catch as the applicant. A business of that name runs a fish and chip bar in Warwick, though the plans don’t say what the Henley restaurant would serve.

What’s planned

Applications 26/02664/FUL and 26/02665/LBC ask to change the use from a house to a restaurant, with staff accommodation on the first floor. A newer flat-roofed extension at the back would make way for a single-storey brick kitchen extension with an extractor unit. The form gives the restaurant floor space as 251 square metres, a net gain of 33.

The agent’s statement describes a two-storey listed building in the town centre, with a large garden and parking behind, reached through an archway. It says the building has been a tobacconist, a cycle shop and a pub in the past, and that the prospective tenant wants to lease it. It says the new kitchen would be fully enclosed, with up-to-date air and noise filtration.

A second attempt

This is a resubmission. Earlier 2026 applications for a “restaurant and takeaway” were withdrawn after the case officer raised concerns. The agent’s covering letter says an outside staircase and privacy screen, and the overlooking linked to them, have now gone, and that most of the internal layout, including the existing stairs, stays as it is.

The word “takeaway” has also gone from the formal description, although the design statement still refers to a kitchen and takeaway facility. We’ve pointed that out because it could matter to neighbours; the application doesn’t explain it. The council gave permission in earlier years for commercial use of the ground floor (2023 application) and first floor (2024 application).

What consultees have said

Historic England says it isn’t offering advice, that this isn’t a comment on the merits, and that the council should ask its own conservation and archaeology advisers. The district’s waste team says household bin collections would stop and that a private commercial collection would be needed. No reply from Henley Parish Council or public comment was on the file when we checked on 9 November.

What happens next

Neighbour and consultee deadlines run to 23 and 30 November, and the site and press notices run to 3 December. The council’s target for a decision is 24 December. You can comment on the application page. Our planning near me map shows other plans in the Stratford district.

Alex Harrington

Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.