A pub could be forced to pull down its colourful children’s play area despite more than 1,000 people signing a petition to save it.

The owners of The Windmill pub in Hoo installed the equipment in the garden in April without getting planning permission from Medway Council.

A retrospective application will go before the council planning meeting on Tuesday but officers have recommended permission should be refused, meaning the equipment will have to be removed.

The play park is a large inter-connected apparatus with walkways, tunnels and slides in a mix of colours. It is 12m long and 6m high.

The application states that the pub in Ratcliffe Highway has suffered a decline in customers and the current owner has been trying to increase numbers by developing a reputable restaurant and appealing to families by introducing the children’s play area.

It also draws attention to the decline of local facilities for children in the area.

A notice which appeared in the community news section of this paper in May said that the owners claimed they had been told by the council that they did not need planning permission.

When asked at the time, a council spokesman said: “We did not speak to the pub before the play area was put up and as it is large and permanent it does require permission.”

Planners have recommended refusal because its size, height, materials and colours are “at odds with and harmful to the character and appearance of the countryside in which it’s located”.

The application would normally be decided by planners but due to the petition and support from the parish council, councillors will make the decision.

Ward councillor Phil Filmer has also requested the matter go before the committee because of the implications it could have on the long-term existence of the pub.

At the time of going to print, the owners of the pub had not responded to requests for a comment.