CONTROVERSIAL plans to knock down a popular music venue and build flats in its place have drawn backlash from residents.

The Rock Barn, in Witney Market Square, is the home of MuzoAkademy which helps more than 100 people of all ages and abilities learn music.

But the academy faces an uncertain future after a revised planning application was submitted last month to demolish the building and replace it with six flats.

In less than two weeks 13 objections against the application have been recorded online as people from across West Oxfordshire get behind the much-loved venue.

This comes after plans lodged last December received more than 20 objections, with residents also concerned the flats would look ‘out of place’ in the town centre.

A petition urging West Oxfordshire District Council to acquire the barn as a community asset or identify a suitable alternative has gained 3,500 signatures, while a Facebook page has almost 350 members.

MuzoAkademy, whose users include an elderly man with dementia and a seven-year-old boy with leukaemia, is part of the 7 C’s foundation, which helps people through music.

The charity’s chair of trustees Jon Berry believes the academy’s community value can be partly attributed to its town centre home.

He said: “We’d love to stay where we are as we think it adds tremendous value to the community in its current location.

“We provide a very safe environment for a lot of people that might otherwise be turned away by a street front position.

“It’s like an Aladdin’s cave of musical equipment.”

MuzoAkademy was founded by Sandy, Aldie and Easy Chalmers, who began teaching home music lessons five years ago.

The academy moved to Market Square when its popularity increased and it has rented The Rock Barn for four years, tutoring 138 people every week.

In December, Keble Homes submitted a planning application to demolish the replace the current building and build a block of six apartments, with no additional car parking space.

These were withdrawn in May but a new application was submitted almost immediately, with residents from across the district objecting to the plans on West Oxfordshire District Council’s website.

In addition to wanting The Rock Barn to stay, objectors have raised concerns about the impact of flats on Witney town centre and the burden on traffic.

Stacy Hickman, from Chipping Norton, said: “Such an array of people from different backgrounds all join as one when it comes to the rock barn, we must keep this as a community asset.

“It’s wanted and needed here in Witney.”

Tracey Yeates, from Carterton, said: “This will only benefit the developer not the community.”

Town and district councillor David Harvey owns the building and says there was ‘always an understanding’ between the two parties that the barn would eventually make way for housing.

If the application is approved by the district council Mr Harvey has the option to sell the site to Keble Homes, which would force MuzoAkademy to find alternative accommodation.

Mr Berry said 7 C’s ‘absolutely understand’ Mr Harvey’s position, who said he has been completely transparent throughout the process.

But the site’s owner played down public opposition to the development and urged the academy to focus their efforts into finding a new home.

Mr Harvey said: “There have been so many objections because they are from the families of people that use the Rock Barn.

“If they put as much time and energy into finding alternative premises they would have found somewhere by now.

“There’s absolutely no animosity between myself and anybody connected with the Rock Barn.

“But for five years they have been repeatedly told they would have to move out.

“Whenever they have been offered to buy the barn they haven’t made any progress.”