PLANS to change an ‘eyesore’ village pub into two houses and a café/wine bar have prompted concerns from parish councillors.

Silverdale Parish Council believes that the empty Royal Hotel in Silverdale could be ‘viable again’ if reopened as a pub.

Discussing the plans by local holiday park company Holgates Silver Ridge, councillors objected to the proposed change of use.

They also raised concerns about the beer garden being replaced by a car park, plus potential extra traffic on to Gaskell Close.

MORE TOP STORIES: In June, the council agreed to apply for the Royal Hotel at Emesgate Lane to be registered as a community asset.

Councillors say this should be resolved by Lancaster City Council before it considers the plans.

Three members of the public spoke against the plans at Silverdale Parish Council, saying there was no evidence that a free house was not viable, and that there was already a café in the neighbouring newsagents.

Some Silverdale villagers and tourists have welcomed the plans in their comments to Lancaster city planners.

Emmie Bland described the pub as ‘an eyesore in an otherwise beautiful village’; and Mark Hallam called the Royal Hotel ‘a fantastic showcase’ of how to save community pubs, adding that the village was ‘lucky’ not to lose the site to retirement flats or student accommodation.

Suzanne Crabtree praised the developer, Holgates, for its high standards and the business and jobs it attracted locally.

However, Steve Lamb was concerned that approving the plans could lead to the building become fully residential ‘in the not too distant future’.

Tim Mackintosh said the plans would alter ‘entirely and forever’ the Royal, which had been the ‘focus of village life’ for more than 100 years.

In a letter to planners, the applicant’s agent, Andrew Tait, said that it was ‘not considered viable to continue running the business’ as before.

He said that ‘sympathetic conversion’ would bring the building back into use and create ‘a vibrant feature’ in the centre of Silverdale.

Lancaster City Council has already approved plans to build two homes in the former pub’s grounds.

Plans to convert the Royal Hotel into two houses and a café/wine bar will be decided by planning officers under delegated powers, before October 2.