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Search the Public Notice PortalPlans have been submitted to bring a historic Oxfordshire pub "back to life" several years after it was closed, with a decision expected soon.
Dating back to the 16th century, The Black Prince on Manor Road in Woodstock sits near the grounds of Blenheim Palace, on the banks of the River Glyme.
Although a popular riverside pub over the years, the watering hole shut in June of 2023, after the business was sold with the new owners closing the pub for the "foreseeable future".
Married couple Dustin Dryden and Amy Guilbert took on the venture and are now working hard to revive the spot.
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Having moved over from South Africa to progress his aviation career in the 1990s, 49-year-old Dustin has spent time as both a customer and a barman at The Black Prince.
He met 41-year-old Amy well over a decade ago after she had moved to Oxfordshire from Surrey to study for a pilot's license.
The couple have been working behind the scenes in recent years to give the Woodstock watering hole a new lease of life.
This led to them hiring independent advisor Karen Squibb-Williams to help with the application process.
The 67-year-old is also no stranger to the area, having lived in nearby Bladon for around three decades before relocating to Somerset.
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Karen also studied Jurisprudence at Oxford University as a mature student, graduating from Harris Manchester College in 1998.
She was brought in to review the planning application being put to West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) back in October 2025, but believed that a rethink would help.
"We are bringing a much-loved historic pub back to life, but to do that, we needed to bring the community together and see what they wanted from it," she said.
"It was also important to work much more closely with the conservation people in relation to the adjacent local water meadows, which are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
"We want to make sure that whatever we do with The Black Prince enhances this natural area and ensures that habitats and wildlife are protected."
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With that in mind, the new planning application was submitted in December of last year, with a consultation period starting.
A new restaurant and riverside gardens are planned to create stylish dining spaces both indoors and outdoors.
In the kitchen, there are talks for "leading chefs" to join the project and cook local ingredients on a purpose-built flame grill, South African style.
There are 10 guest rooms planned as well, with The Black Prince appealing to visitors as well as locals, should it rise from its ashes.
No planning decision has been made as of yet, with the consultation period extended four times since December, having originally been expected to end in January.
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This latest extension finished on Friday (May 15), with the couple and Karen hopeful that a decision is finally on the horizon.
"Yesterday we had a meeting with the WODC planning officer in charge, but we have no idea when the decision will be made.
"We have to do a bit more work to ensure the heritage aspects of the additional work are in harmony with the original listed building.
It is anticipated that a decision could be made by mid-June, with the hopes being that the pub could be opened by Christmas 2027.
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Karen explained: "It's going to be several million pounds' worth of work to bring the original building back to life and build the new facilities.
"We hope to bring in local jobs with the construction, and hire staff locally with apprenticeships offered later down the line, too.
"I’m very positive about the application, but I am also very respectful that the planning officers have to do their work and be confident that what we are planning works.
“We are all excited to bring a much-loved historic pub back to life- the return of a proper coaching inn, adding something to the local area which the town doesn’t currently have.
"It’s about giving Woodstock the pub it deserves. If this doesn’t happen, the listed building’s dilapidation is inevitable, and we are, of course, trying to fight against that with the plans."
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