Plans revealed to transform historic Stoke-on-Trent pub into retail unit and flats

By Sarah Garner

4th Jun 2024 | Local News

A historic pub in Stoke-on-Trent could be transformed into a retail unit and assisted living flats, if plans are approved by the city council.

A planning application has been submitted for The Leopard, Burslem, which seeks permission for "change of use to one retail unit and 17 dwellings with ancillary communal space and associated external and internal alterations".

The Leopard Inn, on Market Place, was last used as a public house that spanned nearly 300 years in service and historically also provided accommodation in the hotel extension.

The long-standing venue was forced to close due to the pandemic in 2020 and sadly the building was damaged by a huge fire in 2022.

The Leopard was last used as a public house that spanned nearly 300 years in service (Google).

A Planning Statement submitted as part of the application states: "The property is currently still in a severely damaged state and requires immediate intervention to prevent losing this historical asset.

"The front section of the basement and ground floor will become the Class E retail use and the rear will provide accommodation as well as communal space. The two uses will be separated.

"Originally the basement and part of the ground floor was used as the pub, which through the proposal will be converted into a Class E retail unit for a range of tenancy options.

"The rest of the property will allocate the C2 assisted-living apartments all above the size of 50m2 to comply with National Described Space Standards.

Sadly, the building was damaged by a huge fire in 2022 (Google).

"Each flat will include the following amenities; a bedroom, bathroom and a shared kitchen with living and dining space. Additionally, there will be space to the basement level to be used by staff members and accommodate communal space for meetings that will also include a main reception, an office space, a communal lounge and a guest suite."

The planning application also states that no partial or total demolition of the building is planned although a huge range of repairs are necessary.

For example, "all floors require extensive internal repair that will be accordingly done to match the existing building materials to prevent negatively affecting the heritage importance of the building.

"Externally, changes requiring attention include the windows, doors and external shell.

"Changes will be made to repair any damaged roofs. Full replacement of roofs will be done, saving and reusing any existing materials where necessary."

The full planning application can be viewed here.