Owners of Jug and Bottle in Heswall defy developers' bid to replace pub with a care home

Oct 31 2012 By Liam Murphy

OWNERS of a much-loved Wirral pub are set to defy developers who want to build a care home on the site.

Wirral-based developers THI had secured the go-ahead to negotiate with Wirral Council to buy up land around the Jug and Bottle in Heswall.

The authority had been approached by the company, which lists prestigious projects such as The Coliseum at Cheshire Oaks among its high-profile schemes.

According to a council report the company was seeking to build a 50 bed "extra care home" on the combined site. The firm’s website says they are currently involved in healthcare developments Cramond and Fort William in Scotland as well as Stockport.

THI, based in Bromborough, had entered into negotiations with Wirral Council to buy the car park and "public open space" around the pub for their scheme.

The report described the site as "a prime residential opportunity" should current planning restrictions be abandoned.

It said the council was in favour of the THI proposal because "from a care provision perspective this would be a helpful scheme offering more choice outside traditional residential care environments".

But Stange and Co, the owners of the Jug and Bottle, said they had been approached by THI who put in an offer for the pub, but they had decided to decline it.

Dan McLennan of Stange and Co said they remain "committed" to operating the pub. He said: "From our point of view it’s currently a no- go. We operate a number of pubs in Wirral and North Wales.

"We are not in the business of selling them, we’re in the business of operating them."

THI, who describe themselves as "specialists in community-led regeneration and development", refused to comment.

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