ROSE TO BLOOM

MOVE BRING HISTORIC FORMER PUB BACK TO LIFE

AN old Coventry pub left to ruin for almost a decade could finally be given a new lease of life as flats.

The Rose & Woodbine public house in Stoney Stanton Road, Foleshill, fell into disrepair after last orders were called in 2010.

Now plans to covert the building into seven one-bedroom flats has been submitted to Coventry City Council.

The ground floor of the Victorian building could also be used for shops, restaurants or cafes, a supporting letter with the application also reveals.

The historic building dates back to 1898 and is an important part of the city’s heritage, having been on the council’s Local List of Buildings since 1974.

The application, submitted by Skyes Planning Ltd, says the highly decorative Victorian facade of the pub would be retained.

Four of the one-bedroom flats would be located on the ground floor, with another three on the first floor.

The proposed accommodation is considered to be mostly suitable for students or single professionals such as teachers, lecturers and health service workers, according to the plan- ning application. A communal roof garden terrace would also be built for those moving in.

New car parking spaces, storage for cycles and an area for bins would also have to be created.

The application states: “Having regard to the location of the proposed flats in a highly sustainable location within an established residential area close to Coventry City Centre; the nature of the proposed development, which would retain and bring back into life a prominent Locally Listed building; the design and layout of the proposed flats, which result in high quality living conditions for the occupiers of the building without impacting on neighbouring properties; the application would accord with the requirements of policies in the Coventry Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.

“It is considered that planning permission should be granted.”

Artist impressions of how the for- mer pub could look once it has been transformed into flats were submitted with the planning application.

They show the Victorian facade still prominent.

The application states: “The building is a Locally Listed Victorian public house dating from 1898 and noted for its highly decorative design, particularly on the gable and chimney facing Stoney Stanton Road, and the fine facades to the south-east and south-west elevations.”

The Victorian pub was built in 1898 and given a £70,000 refurbishment in 1981. It was put up for auction in July 2015 after it closed in 2010.