A CHESHIRE pub which was once used as the campaign headquarters to bring nanny Louise Woodward home could soon be converted into a shop.

The Rigger in Ince Lane, Elton closed its doors about 12 months ago, and plans have now been lodged with Cheshire West and Chester Council to convert the ground floor into a retail area.

No external alterations are proposed at the site.

The Rigger attracted the world's media in 1997 as the Louise Woodward trial verdict, and subsequent appeal, were broadcast to the local community.

There was widespread shock and disbelief among villagers in the early hours of October 31, 1997 at the pub as the jury found the former au pair, then a teenager, guilty of the second-degree murder of eight-month-old baby Matthew Eappen in Massachusetts, USA.

Following that verdict, the pub was used as the base for the Free Louise Woodward campaign, with yellow ribbons adorning the venue and surrounding areas.

An appeal the following month reduced Louise Woodward's conviction to involuntary manslaughter, and the minimum 15-year prison sentence reduced to time served – 279 days. She returned to the UK the following year.

An advertisement for The Rigger pub to prospective owners explained an experienced operator "may feel that there is an opportunity to reopen" the pub and "re-establish the trade here".

The advertisement added: "Other potential purchasers may feel that the property is now better suited to an alternative use."

Comments can be made on the application at Cheshire West and Chester Council's planning portal.