Rocky Horror hotel has sport plans turned down

A plan for a riverside hotel said to be "the most recognisable horror film location in Britain" has been rejected over concerns about its impact on the green belt.

Oakley Court in Water Oakley, Berkshire, was given that title by Historic England and was used as Frank N Furter's castle in The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975.

The hotel's owners, Vinyl Space Limited, applied to build an outdoor swimming pool, two tennis courts, four padel courts, four pickleball courts and outdoor lighting.

The project was dismissed by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in January 2025 and an appeal was rejected by the Planning Inspectorate on Monday.

Agents for Vinyl Space Limited said the planned facilities for the Grade II* listed hotel, which sits close to the River Thames, would have helped it maintain its customer base while attracting new guests.

They said the hotel's lack of sporting facilities is a "serious limiting factor" and that it needed them to "keep up with [guests'] rising expectations".

But planning inspector Alex Oyebade said some of the facilities planned would have added "clutter" to the green belt and would have amounted to inappropriate development.

Historic England said the building was also featured in Hammer films including The Curse of Frankenstein, The Brides of Dracula and Plague of the Zombies, released in 1957, 1960 and 1966, respectively.

It was built in 1859 for Sir Richard Hall-Say, who became the High Sheriff of Berkshire five years later.