Second time lucky for pub flats plan?

The Royal Oak pub, on the corner of Breck Road and Station Road, was built in the early 1840s and was once considered to be of some historical and architectural merit.

But in more recent years the pub, located directly opposite Wyre Council’s Civic Centre on Breck Road, struggled and eventually closed, becoming an eyesore before being demolished in June.

Now comes the latest scheme to develop the site, identical to one approved last year but brought back before planners again over a technical issue.

The application is for a three storey and part two storey apartment block of 12 two-bed flats for sale on the open market, including access, parking provision and a cycle store.

The scheme, including an application for retrospective demolition of the pub, comes before Wyre’s planning committee tomorrow, at 2pm.

With the land being in a conservation zone, the applicants have submitted a design to replicate the style of the original pub, with white rendered walls, grey slate roofing and sash windows.

However, although the new building will follow the footprint of the old pub, in areas it will extend beyond the limits of that building and will also be higher in parts.

Planning officers are recommending the scheme for approval, with a number of conditions attached.

Wyre has received one letter of objection, which states that the application is too close to another property on Breck Road and would result in loss of privacy and also claims that the scheme has a “poor design resulting in poor quality housing”.

The applicant is listed as building firm Singleton and Smart Ltd, of Blackpool.