A planning application for a pub in Burslem has been withdrawn, with revised proposals to restore the fire-ravaged historic pub being drawn up and expected in the summer.

Initial proposals to turn The Leopard in Burslem into shops and 17 flats were lodged last March, after the building had been left gutted by a devastating fire in 2022.

But the original planning application has now been withdrawn by Daneets Investments, the building owner, as changes are being made to the proposed scheme. A new planning application for the Grade II listed building is expected to be submitted in the summer.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council, the planning authority, says the submission of an entirely new application will 'avoid any confusion' and allow a fresh round of consultation.

A spokesperson for city council said: "Our planners have been in frequent dialogue with the owner since the planning applications were submitted last year and now, as a result of these discussions, the owner has appointed a team of professionals to review the original proposals and produce an amended scheme and a comprehensive suite of necessary supporting documents.

"To avoid any confusion, and to provide the public with a fresh opportunity to comment, these new plans will be considered under a fresh application which is likely to be submitted in the summer."

The Leopard dates back to 1765, and it was famously the site of a meeting between Josiah Wedgwood and James Brindley to discuss the building of the Trent and Mersey Canal. It closed its doors in 2020 at the start of the first Covid lockdown, and never reopened.

The pub suffered severe structural damage in the 2022 fire, which came just days after police uncovered a cannabis factory inside the building. Four men were arrested on suspicious of arson and burglary, but they were later released without charge and the exact cause of the fire has never been established.

Last year's planning application included proposals to preserve the building's historical features, with the creation of 17 assisted-living flats and new retail space in the basement and ground floor.

A consultation response from Historic England highlighted the need to 'safeguard as much remaining historic fabric as possible' in the proposed scheme.