PROPOSALS have been submitted to demolish an iconic rural pub and replace it with new homes.

Sunderland Peacock and Associates has applied to Ribble Valley planners to knock down the former Moorcock Inn, on Slaidburn Road, Waddington and build four homes on the site.

Each detached house would have five bedrooms and each plot would have its own access drive with double garaging and street parking.

The former pub had 150 car parking spaces and the applicant has proposed to reduce this to 20 spaces.

The scheme will require some of the existing trees on the site to be removed, although new native tress will be planted to mitigate this.

Ribble Valley Council planning officer John Macholc said: “The building is in a bad condition and has been abandoned since 2010.

“The windows have been smashed in and it is in a very poor state.

“Four planning applications have been made since 2010 and three of them have been refused.”

Sunderland Peacock and Associates made a bid to build the same number of houses in a planning application on the Slaidburn Road venue last July.

Mr Macholc added: “An applicant is entitled to make as many applications as they want in 12 months without paying a fee.”

The pub has closed and re-opened a number of times under different management.

In 1975 it was put into liquidation after losses of £97,500 were revealed. Later that year, the building was gutted by fire, but was fully restored and re-opened in 1977.

Plans were submitted to turn the site into a development of luxury flats, but after a number of years of wrangling, the plans were thrown out.

In 1984 it re-opened as a quality venue offering fine cuisine and functions.

Sunderland Peacock and Associates declined to comment.