Planning permission sought to convert vacant Grade-II listed Pontefract town centre shop into pub
Another pub could be on its way to Pontefract town centre.
A planning application has been submitted to convert a Grade II listed shop, which is currently, vacant into a pub.
The plans are for 3 Corn Market and the site is next to the Malt Shovel pub and across from the Ponty Tavern.
In a heritage statement, the applicant said: “It is our belief that in these troubled times in the retail sector with town centre shops closing at an alarming rate.
"That this will not only be a welcome boost for the economy, it will also enhance the conservation area as empty retail shops do have a habit of falling into disrepair and dereliction as this actual property has in the past.”
The applicant said that under the plans there would be no structural changes to the inside of the building.
A new stud portion wall added into one of the existing rooms and all the other work internally would be just shop fitting and would not “affect the original fabric of the building”.
An English Heritage entry submitted with the application describes the setting as: “A row of three houses, later shops and offices, that were re-fronted in the 19th century.
"They are in red-brown brick, with a parapet and a Welsh slate roof. There are two storeys and attics, and eight bays.
"In the ground floor on the left is a passageway, and to the right are 20th-century shop fronts.
"The upper floor contains sash windows, some replaced by casements, some with voussoired wedge lintels, and some with quoined jambs.
"In the roof are four gabled dormers.”
The town centre has seen a number of applications to convert buildings to bars and new premises opening over the past year.
Drag queen show bar Galileo’s opened on Ropergate in March.
Owner Danny Bullough said that high streets are shifting from retail to hospitality.
He said: “The landscape is changing a lot, massively, with people shopping online.
“You can go to Amazon and get literally anything you want at your convenience, and a lot of retailers sell there, so the high street has a big battle on its hands.”