Plans for a disused historic pub do not include those it to be kept as a drinking establishment – according to plans submitted to Brentwood Borough Council.
The Bull, a Grade II-listed building in Church Street, Blackmore, has been empty for two and a half years but residents have now been shown plans submitted by its current owner Sheila Pickering who wants to reconfigure the pub's layout and build two cottages in the garden.
Ms Pickering says the plans provide for the retention of the public house, fulfilling its purpose and function within the village and local community.
But in applying for what it can be used for, a long list of options have been included, but its use as drinking establishment has not been.
The 1975 extensions that comprise the rear above cellar and the WC, as well as the rear extension will be demolished which will bring the building back to how it was originally laid out at the rear.
Currently this is underused as a cellar, and Ms Pickering believes this detracts from the "character and architectural integrity of the listed building"
Also proposed is the single story open store at the end of the kitchen range.
Equally controversial are the plans to build a pair of semidetached cottages in the beer garden.
Their gardens will extend to the rear, as far as the public house car park. There will be no parking at the front. There will be pedestrian access only through a picket fence.
Even before plans were formally submitted, Blackmore residents were desperately keen for new owners to come forward to take it on as a pub or restaurant.
Villagers say the pub, which dates back to 1365, has always been at the heart of the community and are desperate to see it re-opened.
A campaign supported by hundreds of signatories has been launched to ensure its continued use as a pub.
