Boar's Head, Ewloe, faces demolition for housing

The Boar's Head dates back to the early 1600s but has been closed since 2002

Calls have been made to save a 400-year-old Flintshire pub from demolition to make way for housing.

The Boar's Head at Ewloe has faced an uncertain future since it closed its doors in 2002.

Campaigner Klaus Armstrong-Braun has urged Flintshire councillors to "keep some semblance of the pub" when they decide its fate on Wednesday.

Chief planning officer Andrew Barrow has recommended approval to help meet a need for social housing for over-55s.

The proposals include a three-storey block of social housing flats and three new houses, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Armstrong-Braun, a former mayor of nearby Saltney, urged councillors to save the pub to protect the county's heritage.

He pointed to its history as a stopping place for horse-drawn travel between the Irish Sea port of Holyhead and London.

An artist impression of the new buildings proposed for the site of the pub

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has recognised the building as a rare example of a purpose-built inn, but the Welsh Government's heritage arm Cadw has rejected calls to protect the pub by listing it.

Mr Armstrong-Braun said the design of the housing development was lacking "any sensitivity".

"If they're going to do anything they should keep some semblance of the pub itself," he said.

• Six charts on how the British drink

• Cafe culture on the rise as pubs decline

• Should there be a crusade to save British pubs?

Concerns have also been raised about traffic congestion, a lack of parking and the overdevelopment of the village as a result of the proposals.

However, in a report to Flintshire's planning committee, Mr Farrow said there was a "clear and identified need" for social housing for over-55s.

He said the development allowed the opportunity for "a landmark building with a contemporary design".