New plans for pub building five years after closure

The Last Plantagenet pub on Granby Street served its last pints in September 2019

Developers have revealed new plans for a former Wetherspoons pub building in Leicester.

The Last Plantagenet pub on Granby Street served its last pints in September 2019, before plans to turn the five-storey building into 56 studio flats for students were approved in 2021.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said new proposals have now been submitted to Leicester City Council to use the renovated building as a 56-bed hotel instead.

The hotel would be for “short stays” and “weekend breaks”, said applicant Friends Tavern Leicester Limited.

'Acceptable proposal'

It also said it would be willing to accept a condition on any approval granted by the council limiting the possible lengths of stays at the venue.

The developer, which was also behind the student accommodation plan, said there had been previous attempts over the years to create a hotel on the upper floors of the property, with the first given permission in 2001.

A second attempt in 2017 was also granted approval, but the scheme was not implemented.

The hotel would have a reception area and “multi-functional” space which guests would be able to use for “small events and conferences”.

However there is no proposal for any dining or drinks services within the hotel, saying the location has “excellent access to a range of bards, eateries, shops” and other “amenities” in the city centre.

LDRS said no car parking is proposed for the hotel either and bicycle storage would be offered, documents state.

A number of jobs would also be created if the hotel is given the go ahead, the applicant said.

Friends Tavern Leicester Ltd said the council had indicated the proposed use was “acceptable”.

The ground-floor unit does not form part of the application, documents show.

A public consultation on the plan will run until 19 November and the city council has set a target decision date of 2 January.