Plans to replace pub with care home are withdrawn

Feb 8 2012 by Liam Murphy, Heswall News

CONTROVERSIAL plans to knock down a pub in west Wirral and replace it with a care home have been halted.

Wirral Council confirmed the planning application to replace the Pensby Hotel pub in Pensby with a home for the elderly were withdrawn last Friday.

Local councillor Don McCubbin who campaigned against the proposal, which had sparked 172 separate objections to the council, welcomed the news.

He said: “I am delighted that Ideal Care Homes have finally seen sense and withdrawn this unwanted application.

“The Pensby Hotel is a family-friendly pub that accommodates all sorts of community groups, from a pensioners’ bingo club to sporting societies.

“This is a fantastic example of the community coming together to save their local facilities. More than 1,000 people signed a petition against the planning application.”

Pub landlord, Arthur Smith, said: “It is such a relief that this millstone has been removed from our necks. I am overwhelmed with the generous support the local community has given to the Pensby Hotel.

“It has taken me and my business partners five years to transform the pub into a family friendly community facility.”