EAST LANCASHIRE’S first ‘community pub’ has unveiled ambitious plans for an upgraded two-level restaurant.

The Dog Inn in Belthorn reopened in December after it was saved by a co-operative group of residents who raised £180,000 through a share issue.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Now after raising £50,000 in grants, the committee in charge of the pub have revealed proposals to refurbish and extend its facilities.

As well as a volunteer-run coffee shop, a village shop and the conversion of accommodation to community rooms, a much-improved restaurant is on the pub’s menu.

Its newsletter ‘Dogs Life’ reveals: “We have enlisted the help of a spatial design company, Field, of Burnley, to pull together some ideas of what the restaurant could look like after refurbishment.

“It is planned to move the steps down to the lower restaurant area back to the centre of the room and raise the ceiling of some of the area.

“Full-length windows in the lower restaurant will make the most of the stunning views that the Dog Inn has to offer, and may also be able to open out onto an outdoor decking/seating area in the future.

“We plan to move the café into the restaurant, by creating a servery counter from the kitchen, and leaving the existing café serving area to operate as a shop.

“All of these plans depend on what is found during the works.”

The newsletter also reveals: “We have finally received planning consent for the creation of a village shop, and to convert the upstairs rooms into community rooms.

“This is great news, allowing us to move forward with redevelopment and refurbishments.

“We have been granted £10,000 by the Big Lottery Fund towards building refurbishment, and £30,000 from Lancashire Environmental Fund towards the refurbishment of the restaurant and kitchen.

“This is in addition to the £7,500 awarded from the WM & BW Lloyd Trust (Darwen) and £2,500 from the Leech Trust for the refurbishment of the community rooms.”

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones tweeted: “Great plans for the restaurant @DoginnBelthorn – a community owned pub.

“Looks impressive. In for a gill resting!”

The first annual meeting of Dog Inn (Belthorn) Ltd will be held Wednesday, May 25, in the pub.