PLANS have been lodged to build 63 new homes – comprising 38 apartments and 25 houses – on the former Royal British Legion site in Ellesmere Port.

Developers Lane End Group are behind the proposal for the vacant land off Stanney Lane which also once included a garage forecourt.

Both buildings, which closed down several years ago, have long since been demolished and the brownfield site is currently fenced off.

Back in July 2018, the Royal British Legion unveiled plans to redevelop the land by building a 72-bed care home for veterans, including a community hub, café, events hall and memorial garden.

However, a year later the UK's biggest armed forces charity pulled the plug on the scheme despite having submitted a planning application to Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Now, Lane End Group – who are the developer behind the new homes at the former Sycamore Garden Centre site in Great Sutton – have put forward a proposal to bring the neglected site back into use.

It wants to a total of 26 one and two-bedroom apartments in a two-storey block, 12 one-bedroom cottage style apartments, 16 two-bedroom houses and nine three-bedroom properties.

The proposal also includes landscaping and the provision of 98 car parking spaces and 26 cycle spaces.

The old Royal British Legion in Ellesmere Port. Pic: Google Street View 2012.

The old Royal British Legion in Ellesmere Port. Pic: Google Street View 2012.

In its full planning application, Lane End Group states: "We feel that the scheme will have a positive impact in this area as a direct result of its design and appearance.

"The proposal will provide a high-quality development, creating much needed apartments and houses for people wishing to live in the area affordably.

"The approach taken to arrive to this point has been driven by design and layout.

"The proposal will enhance the street scene and bring a function back to a vacant and currently underutilised site. This will have a positive effect on the wider community."