A PROPOSAL to turn a prominent town centre pub in Haslingden into a restaurant and coffee bar with four flats above it have been submitted to Rossendale Council.

Planners are to consider the proposals for the Roebuck Inn in Charles Lane, which was built as a public house in the mid-Victorian era when the surrounding residential terraces were developed.

The pub is currently comprised of a main bar with capacity for 350 customers, an outside terrace to seat 20, a smoking shelter, four-bedroom owner’s accommodation and a large, separate, one-bedroom maisonette flat.

In 2008, the pub was put up for sale for £425,000.

At the time, Linda Boyle, of Christie and Co, said: “Due to the sheer size and prominent location of the Roebuck Inn, the property has potential for conversion to alternative use, such as a care home or residential flats, subject to the necessary planning consent.”