PLANS to turn an empty department store into a new pub in Stroud have taken a step further.
Pub group Amber Taverns is planning to open a bar in a section of the old M&Co building in King Street which closed in April last year.
A change of use application has now been approved by Stroud District Council, and the name of the bar has been revealed.
Plans - which were submitted in May - include creating a bar area on the ground floor with extra toilets and a storage area on the first floor.
20 new jobs created
A new three-bedroom apartment would be created on the second floor.
It is hoped that the business will open early next year, with work due to start soon.
Approximately 20 new jobs will be created, including part-time and full-time positions.
A premises licence application was approved back in July.
Meanwhile, the change of use application for the pub was approved on September 6.
Opening hours will be 10am to 12.30am Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Opening date will be late January or early February
Amber Taverns operations director Gary Roberts said: “We now have all permissions in place and will proceed to complete the acquisition.
“The contractors are in the final few weeks of a development in Cheltenham called the Eagle Social Tap.
“Once complete they will commence work in Stroud.
“The likely opening date for the business will be late January or early February.
“We are looking to call the pub the King Street Social Tap, a nod to the location, the community spirit that a pub creates and a promise of a consistently great selection of craft beers and local cask ales.”
The three-storey building is a former Regency house which used to be department store Lewis & Godfrey’s.
Amber Taverns has around 170 pubs across the UK including the Doctors in Eastgate Street, Gloucester.
The group previously told the SNJ it was planning to open the new Stroud pub this month.
“This means larger units are less in demand and there is a rebalancing towards more experiences, hospitality and services.
“It is good to see this prominent space is on track to come into use again and that it is being repurposed in such a way that can bolster the night-time economy of the town, in addition to serving a daytime need.
“We do not need to look far to see how unloved and undeveloped buildings can start to become a blot (notably the former Peacocks building that looks set to be long-term vacant) so seeing this investment in a property and the employment opportunities that come with it is a positive move.”
A planning document reads: “The site is at the centre of Stroud and is currently empty following closure of a large retailer.
“As the site is within the town centre, the re-use of the building to a public house to retain a commercial presence in a prominent location is welcome.
“The proposed public house is in the town centre and would be subject to the licensing restrictions in terms of trading.
“The application has been supported by a noise impact assessment, which has been found to be acceptable subject to a compliance condition.
“The proposed minor alterations to the building do not give rise to any detrimental impacts to residential amenity.”
You can view the application quoting is S.24/0907/FUL or see here - tinyurl.com/4xfjc7m3
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