PLANS to turn a landmark pub into a fried chicken restaurant have been rejected by council planners.

Developers wanted to build a KFC in place of the Crown pub, London Road, Hadleigh, along with a car wash.

Castle Point Council rejected the proposals as worried residents raised concerns a fried chicken restaurant would lower the tone of the area and attract late night troublemakers to the town centre.

Pub manager Barry Parker, 36, of Station Road, Canvey, was delighted as he said he wants to carry on running the pub.

He said: “I’m very pleased. It will be nice to be able to make some plans for the summer, now we know we’re still going to be here.

“There’s a lot of potential for this pub. I’ve got plans to make the most of our beer garden and hold lots of barbecues.

“I want it to be a real family pub in the week and attract a younger crowd at weekends.

“A lot of people stopped coming here because they thought it was closing, so hopefully they’ll come back. I’d like to say to everyone ‘we’re still here’ and it would be great to see more people coming down here again.”

Mr Parker explained although the developers Westbury Invest- ments, lodged the failed planning application, the Punch Taverns brewery still owns the pub which he manages on their behalf.

He said: “The company is always looking for a leaseholder to take on the pub full time. I couldn’t afford it, but if anyone did I definitely think the pub could make money.”

The KFC, which would have been almost opposite a McDonald’s restaurant, would have been open from 7am to midnight every day, while the car wash would have been in operation from 8am until 6pm on a daily basis.

The decision to reject the planning application was taken by the council’s planning officers and not voted on by councillors.

The news was also welcomed by local trader Edward Metaal, 30, who runs Brian Reeves Butchers and Meat and Two Veg greengrocers, in London Road, Hadleigh.

He said: “I don’t think a KFC would have been great for Hadleigh.

“We’ve got lots of takeaways already.

“I would like to see the pub modernised though, maybe if it was made into something like a Harvester which served food, but kept the essence of a pub that would be a good idea. At the moment you get a lot of trouble at the Crown on Friday and Saturday nights.”