New Flats Rise Where Royal Hunt Pub Stood

New flats have been completed on the site of the former Royal Hunt pub in North Ascot, at the junction of New Road and King Edwards Road.

The Royal Hunt dates back to the 1700s and was a gathering place for royal huntsmen after Queen Anne founded Ascot Racecourse in 1711. In the 2000s it was a local spot to eat, drink, watch sport, and it ran quiz and poker nights; breakfast was once served from an outbuilding.

The pub closed in 2015 and plans to replace it with flats were submitted to Bracknell Forest Council (North Ascot is part of Winkfield Parish).

A 2017 application for nine flats triggered a campaign to list the pub as an asset of community value in November that year. That would have given the community the exclusive chance to buy the pub within six months, but the listing attempt failed and it was delisted in March 2018, following an internal review.

A 2020 plan for nine flats was rejected because it would have removed an "important" and "high-quality" oak tree. Councillors approved a revised scheme in July 2021 for one new building with eight one-bed flats; the tree was retained and protected with no new hard surfacing in its root protection area.

Patrick Ruddy Homes demolished the pub in 2023 and work began on the two-storey building, which has dormers to create more space on the top floor. Each flat has a double bedroom plus kitchen and living space.

Street view imagery from April last year showed the site still secured while finishing touches were made. The building uses a mix of red brick, beige paint and slate-coloured roofing.

The red brick shows efflorescence, a white, powdery deposit left when water brings salts to the surface. It can be cleaned by dry brushing, natural rain washing, or with acidic cleaners.

Details on existing access, pedestrian access and visibility splays were approved by Bracknell Forest Council on September 30. You can view the approved plans using these references:

• 20/00001/FUL - approved plan for the new flats.
• PA/2026/0913 - details relating to access and visibility splays.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter