PLANS to turn one of Oswestry's most iconic looking pubs into a new patisserie have gone before Shropshire Council.

The Bull Ring, at the juncture of Salop Road, English Walls and Leg Street, has a distinctive black and white frontage, as well as being next to a brickwork building on the roundabout.

The application, submitted by Design and Planning Associates Limited on behalf of ‘Niche Patisserie’, is for the change of use from public house to patisserie shop, tea room and bakery and associated works affecting a Grade II listed building.

In its access statement, DPA said: "The building currently stands vacant, however its last use was a Public House which also served hot food.

"(The current Use Class is therefore E(b) and Sui Generis under the new 2020 use class order definition).

"It is now proposed to change the building’s use to an onsite bakery, shop for the sale of bread, cakes and pastries (made on the premises) and other bakery ingredients etc. It is also proposed to form a small café area."

They added that the plans are set to restore the former pub into its previous historical use of being a tea room.

The statement continued: "There are no extensions and major structural alterations proposed to the Black Gate in its conversion to a bakery, shop and cafe and plans shown further on in this document show the proposed layout to form the buildings new use.

"Historically the Black Gate’s former use were tea rooms and therefore the proposed new part use as tea rooms would not be out of place in this building.

"As part of the external works, It is proposed to remove any features relating to its current use as a public house, such as air cooling plant for the cellars which are located at the front of the premises and redundant cooker extraction grille/s from the old kitchens.

"Signage is also proposed to be replaced and is subject to a separate application.

"It is proposed to install new air intake and extraction grilles for the proposed new ovens. These are to be situated in the side wall of the proposed bakery section of the adaptation building."

Historic England have described the pub as being built around the 1600s, with 19th and 20th century alterations, though DPA moved to clarify the last use of the building was a pub, and not restaurant.

The proposed opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm each day with occasional late openings.

Consultation finishes on Friday, January 8 and to comment, head to https://pa.shropshire.gov.uk/ and search 20/05184/LBC