Russell Brand has been dealt a blow as his plan to convert a village pub into a recording studio and offices has been refused.

The comedian and actor had put forward a proposal to transform The Crown Inn, near Henley, into offices and a recording for his broadcasting activities, as well as community space and a food outlet.

A plan for the project was submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council in November.

However, the project was refused by the council after a deluge of objections, with 53 of those coming from neighbours.

Jeremy Tweddle from the nearby village of Berrick Salome said: “I have lived in the area since 1989 and have enjoyed many visits to the Crown, which I consider to be an asset to the community and surrounding area.

“In my opinion, it appears that the current owners have bought a public house, made no effort to run it as such and now declare it not viable.”

Mr Brand bought the pub, which has been closed for years, in 2020.

Planning officer Marc Pullen argued that Mr Brand’s agents had failed to provide information that The Crown Inn is economically ‘unviable’ as a business – which could have cleared the way for its conversion.

Mr Pullen wrote: “The proposed development would result in the loss of an essential community facility.

“This application has failed to demonstrate an acceptable replacement for the lost facility and has failed to demonstrate that the facility is no longer required and is no longer economically viable.”

The conversion project would have created office and studio space for his popular independent video series.

Additionally, the project would have created community space in a separate barn, and a food and drink outlet in an old stables which both serve as ancillary buildings for The Crown Inn, which is on the B480 the small village of Pishill.

But David Cooper, pub preservation officer at the South Oxfordshire Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale blasted these suggestions.

Mr Cooper said: “The pub’s replacement by an ill-defined ‘community space’ in an adjacent barn and an even more poorly defined ‘food/drink outlet’ in a very small space  in no way compensates for the loss of a pub, which would offer a social meeting place on a regular basis for both formal and informal gatherings and interactions.”

The plan, application reference P23/S4045/FUL was refused on February 2.

Mr Brand has 6.79 million subscribers on YouTube, which he calls ‘awakening wonders’ along with other video content on the platform Rumble and ‘exclusive content’ on subscriber platform Locals.

This year, he has come under fire after four women publicly accused the comedian of rape and sexual assault between 2006 and 2013.

From 2010 to 2012, he was married to pop star Katy Perry. Since 2017, he has been happily married to his wife Laura Gallacher, with the couple having two daughters and a son.