A MAJOR hotel extension is being planned for a country pub just outside Malvern.

The owner of the Bear and Ragged Staff, Station Road, Bransford, has applied for planning permission to add 12 bedrooms to the inn.

The proposed timber-clad two-storey extension would also include a function room and reception areas.

The application has been made by G Whitby of the pub via solicitors Wall James and Davies of Stourbridge.

A letter from Wall James and Davies accompanying the application disclosed that negotiations between the applicant's agents and Malvern Hills District Council had been going on since April 2001.

The letter says: "The property is a good distance away from the nearest residential premises... and the siting is very discreet, being seen against the existing railway verge and woodland."

The letter also says the applicants have consulted county highways, which is happy with the proposed overflow parking.

The planning application also includes a report from the heart of England Tourist Board, which says the idea has "considerable tourism merit".

Mr Whitby could not be contacted for comment this week

The Bear and Ragged Staff was named Dining Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide 2004.

The Guide praised its "delicious food and welcoming atmosphere" and said: "This stylish place is making readers very happy these days".

Neighbours and the parish council will be consulted on the plan before a decision is made by MHDC.