THREE more couples have contacted the Evening News to say their wedding plans are in disarray after city councillors refused to allow a hotel to retain its popular reception venue.

We revealed on Saturday that the Diglis House Hotel's riverside marquee, which has been used as a wedding venue for the past 11 years, had been refused renewed planning permission until 2009.

The city council's planning committee decided it was detrimental to the setting of the Grade-II listed hotel, failed to enhance the riverside, and created excess noise and disturbance.

But 10 couples had already booked the luxury tent in which to celebrate their nuptials next summer.

On Monday, Hayley Rimell and Nick Fowler, who are due to be wed on Saturday, July 9, spoke of their shock that their reception venue was under threat.

They said they had been left frantically searching for an alternative.

Now, Stacey Perks and Simon Moore, from Blakefield Road in St John's, Fiona Boyce and Mark Carey, from Mayfield Road, Rainbow Hill and Julie Kelland and Jonathan Smith, from Bromsgrove, have also come forward to talk about their predicament.

Stacey, a 29-year-old civil servant, said she and 30-year-old fiance Simon, a hairdresser, were absolutely gutted that their wedding, due to take place on Saturday, July 23, may have to be postponed.

"We wanted our reception at the Diglis Hotel so badly - in fact, when we booked the only date left was July 23 so we changed our booking at St John's Church to coincide with it.

"We've got absolutely no idea what to do now - whether to try and find somewhere else at short notice, or risk waiting for a decision on the appeal the hotel is submitting."

Ceremony

Fiona, aged 25, said she and fiance Mark, 37, had booked the venue for Saturday, September 3 for their civil wedding ceremony as well as the reception.

"We are seriously contemplating postponing the wedding or going abroad - but at such short notice it would mean our family and friends would not be able to save up enough money to fly out and see it."

Julie, aged 29, who is due to celebrate her marriage to Jonathan, aged 32, on Saturday, September 10 said she was disappointed with the hotel's handling of the situation.

"They wouldn't have told us if it wasn't for the Evening News article and they still didn't offer our deposit back - we had to ask before they said they would send it," she said.

"We were told they had spoken to their solicitors and are not offering compensation, but if we had pulled out at the last minute we would have lost some of our deposit. Why is it different for them?"

She added that the invitations had already been sent out and they will have to be re-done.

Colin Tutin, manager of the Diglis Hotel, declined to comment on the matter of compensation but said he had contacted all the couples involved and would ensure that they were kept well informed with the appeal process.

But Paul O'Connor, planning officer at the city council, said even if the appeal was lodged straight away, the earliest the hotel would get a decision would be late summer.

"As much as I sympathise with the couples who have booked their weddings here the issue is what is in the public interest and the committee decided that the marquee was detrimental to its surroundings and the neighbours," he added.