PLANS to turn the canalside Barge Inn into a wine bar have been opposed by residents, after a planning application was submitted to Wiltshire Council.

Owner Pietro Cuomo also wants to turn the adjacent barn that is currently unused into an on-site home.

Andy Ligard, who lives on a boat and regularly moors in Pewsey and nearby Honeystreet Wharf, says he is disappointed at the bid to turn the traditional ale house into an Italian themed wine bar.

Mr Ligard said: “The design brief says that the pub is not viable but it’s not viable because they have closed the campsite and driven away custom. It has been very viable in the past.

“If they wanted to live in a house in the countryside they should have moved into a house and not taken the pub away from locals

“There’s no way an Italian will work in that location.”

The application, submitted to Wiltshire Council on October 18, states: “The new owners want to shift the emphasis of the pub towards being a wine bar and restaurant to mirror the shifting emphasis in successful hostelries.

“They see the Barge not as a ticket to turn a quick profit, but as an opportunity to build a life and a living, and to give hope to a business and buildings that are failing.”

Earlier in the year a petition signed by 500 people and a social media campaign with 700 likes was launched to urge the owner not to paint over a popular mural in the pub.

The decision to close down the neighbouring campsite also received criticism.

The application also states: “The new owners are acutely aware of the importance of the Barge Inn as an historical leisure point of reference for the people living in the surrounding villages, and are greatly interested in keeping the Barge Inn ‘alive'.”

The Gazette has tried to contact Mr Cuomo for comment but had not received a response by the time the paper went to press.