A former card shop on Lord Street in Southport town centre could soon be turned into a new pub.
The building at 451-453 Lord Street, opposite Sainsbury’s supermarket, has been vacant since The Card Warehouse closed its doors back in 2018.
Applicant Anthony Baird has now submitted a planning application to Sefton Council to convert the 68 square metre ground floor unit into a new public house.
It would be within the trendy ‘Northern Quarter’ of the Lord Street area, which in recent years has seen a growth in stylish hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars.
Planning permission already exists for table eating outside.
In 2020, a planning application was submitted to Sefton Council to convert a row of derelict Southport shops into 14 new apartments.
The proposals for the Grade II Listed buildings at 447 to 453 Lord Street called for the creation of four studio apartments and 10 self-contained flats, within the Lord Street Conservation Area.
The four-storey buildings once housed the well-known jewellery shop, David Robinson, at property numbers 447 to 449, with The Card Warehouse next door.
However, David Robinson Jewellers closed its doors in 2017.
Developers of the plans said due to the buildings remaining vacant and “not looked after” in recent years the building will have to be entirely refurbished.
They said that some of the “architectural details” in both buildings have “deteriorated beyond repair” but where possible these would be restored for future occupiers.
They added that both buildings were in “poor condition” and “in need of attention” to stop them from further deterioration.
The document said: “The buildings have not been occupied, therefore unheated and not looked after since early 2018.
“In order to convert the property into a residential use the building will be entirely refurbished and converted to create attractive self-contained flats and four studio apartments.
“Both buildings are presently in poor condition and are in need of attention to avoid it deteriorating further due to it being empty.”
The documents also said that developers believe changing the buildings into residential properties “will ensure that the building is retained and improved for the future.”
The plans added that it would therefore improve the immediate area and the Lord Street Conservation Area as a whole.
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