DEVELOPERS hoping to open a Hungry Horse pub in Cowley have said they are considering their options after the city council rejected the plans.

Templars Retail Park owner Quadrant Estates wanted to transform an empty restaurant space at the Between Towns Road shopping park into a pub.

But Oxford City Council refused planning permission after earlier approving a licence application to turn the unit into a pub.

The scheme was rejected because of traffic concerns over plans to have deliveries via Rymers Lane, using a small plot of land north of the empty unit.

City councillor for Cowley David Henwood said: “I’m disappointed. I think it would have been an asset to the community. I thought it would have been a nice family restaurant, that would have filled a void of a type of restaurant or shop that we don’t currently have in Cowley.”

The 469sqm unit, which is one of three restaurant sites in the retail park, has been vacant since September 2013.

Greene King, which owns the Hungry Horse chain, said it expected to employ between 50 and 60 people if plans were approved.

Developers planned to have deliveries to the site routed along Between Towns Road and Rymers Lane, with a small plot of unused land north of the empty unit used as a car park.

The proposals included 13 car parking spaces and room for 10 bicycles, accessible from Rymers Lane.

But Mr Henwood said traffic calming measures on Rymers Lane raised concerns among council officers about the safety of pedestrians when delivery lorries access the site.

He said officers were also concerned about the proposed car park being used by both customers and for deliveries, as well as a potential increased volume of traffic in the area.

He added that many residents have welcomed the council’s decision after concerns about increased traffic, parking problems and noise in the evenings.

He added: “The residents that were opposing the plans are pleased with the decision. If further proposals were refined, meeting the needs of the local community, it would be welcomed in the area.”

The council’s head of city development Michael Crofton-Briggs said the application was refused because proposals would “considerably increase vehicular movements” nearby.

A Hungry Horse spokesperson said: “We were disappointed with this decision and are now considering our options.”