BUSINESS owners have been left “gutted” after a high street coffee chain was granted planning permission to open a new branch in Pangbourne.

Despite months of campaigning, Costa Coffee has been given permission to build a new branch at the former site of Premier Pet Store, in Reading Road.

Villagers had protested that there were already four coffee shops in Pangbourne, who will now find it hard to compete.

Dawfydd Williams, who owns Food Kick with his wife Rhianon, ran an online petition, Say No to Costa Coffee in Pangbourne, with more than 200 people registered, and hundreds more making their concerns known in his store.

He had labelled the new branch a “marketing stunt” when it was initially proposed and said: “We’re not best pleased because my wife attended the hearing and heard how the planning officers from West Berkshire Council and Pangbourne Parish Council were against it. It was a bit like a pantomime at times.

“We’re pretty gutted. We know people who would happily take the store on but they can’t afford to pay a 33 per cent increase in fees that Costa can.

“I don’t think it’s going to bring more people to the village. We need to make sure we keep our loyal customers.” Chairman of Pangbourne Parish Council, Cllr John Higgs, believes the change of use from an A1 retail building to an A3 coffee outlet goes against West Berkshire Council’s Shop 1 policy to protect the balance of high street stores.

He said: “We don’t want to judge the competition, we are just looking at it from a planning point of view.

“The villages of Newbury, Hungerford, Thatcham, Theale and Pangbourne are included to make sure the balance is right.”