REVISED plans have been lodged to demolish the historic Station Hotel public house in Ellesmere Port and replace it with apartments.

The iconic pub on Station Road, which was built in the 1870s, has fallen into disrepair after closing its doors for the final time back in 2017.

Last summer, developers Rose Business Services got the green light to knock down the locally listed building and replace it with two residential blocks containing 25 affordable apartments.

However, they have now put forward a revised application to demolish the site and instead build one residential block with 19 apartments, creating more space for parking and landscaping.

Although it is locally listed, the Station Hotel is not a designated Grade II listed building and therefore has no statutory protection.

The Station Hotel was bought at auction by a property developer in early 2019 but was advertised for auction once again in October of that year.

The current owners purchased the property after this date.

The latest planning application, submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council on behalf of the owners, states that Sanctuary Housing are likely to "purchase the site and construct and manage the housing".

The revised plans for the old Station Hotel pub.

The revised plans for the old Station Hotel pub.

It adds: "Detailed discussions have taken place towards concluding the land deal and this is to be concluded in the very near future.

"However, Sanctuary have asked that a revised scheme be achieved before the purchase can take place – this is to ensure that the scheme fits within their precise requirements.

"As such, the development remains a 100% affordable housing scheme. The primary differences can be summarised as follows:

  • The deletion of the second block facing the station.
  • The extension of the block fronting Station Road.
  • The increase in apartments sizes and the reduction in the number of dwellings to 19.

"As the scheme proposes fewer dwellings, more space would be opened up within the site for parking and soft landscaping, which includes replacement biodiversity habitat.

"The scheme would still involve a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom units. The fact that those units might be slightly bigger would not impact materially on their overall value as open market units."

The application concludes: "Although it is a materially different scheme, it retains the essential design ethos of the original and will result in a high-quality scheme which brings life and activity into the area and much-needed affordable housing."