A BRACKNELL pub which has stood empty since 2014 could be demolished and replaced with a new shop and five flats if a developer's plans are approved. 

The Blue Lion, in Broad Lane, was sold off to developers more than one year ago and has remained empty since it closed its doors to punters in October 2014.

Now, a planning application has been submitted to Bracknell Forest Council on behalf of FPC (Bracknell) LLP seeking permission to tear down the pub, which has stood in its spot since 1870, and replace it with a convenience store with flats on the first floor.

The application follows from a proposal which was refused in 2015 to change the use of the existing building, which is not listed, from a pub to a convenience store and convert the first floor into a two-bedroom flat.

It was refused on the grounds the proposed delivery and service arrangements would have an adverse impact on highway safety but an appeal against the decision has been lodged. 

Records show the pub has been located in Broad Lane since 1870 and it was the third Bracknell pub to close in just one year. 

When the closure of the pub was announced, landlord of 12 years Trevor Cook said: "We are another pub in the town to bite the dust and it seems to becoming a growing and worry trend in the area at the moment. It is very sad."

If approved, the site would be bulldozed and four two-bed and a one-bed flat built above a new convenience store which would be open from 7am-11pm Monday to Sunday.

There would also be 17 parking spaces, five allocated for the residential units, and the new store would create 12 full time and 12 part-time jobs. 
The developers claim it is a sustainable development and the store will provide a much-needed amenity for residents living nearby and that residents have 11 other pubs within a 1.5km radius.