THE owners of a popular pub have denied claims that they will shortly submit plans to open a restaurant and build new homes on the site.

A town hall source told the Guardian that the Traveller’s Friend pub in High Road, Woodford Green, could be part-demolished to make way for houses at the rear.

He said that an application, also to include plans to convert the pub into a restaurant and build flats, was expected “within weeks or days”.

A spokesperson for the owners, the Barracuda Group, said: “I can confirm that there are no plans to close the Traveller’s Friend or convert the pub into flats and a restaurant.

"It is one of our many successful pubs that provides an invaluable service to the local community.”

The council also denied that any talks had taken place over the future of the pub, which is in a conservation area where all applications are subject to strict planning guidelines.