Following a year’s delay since Premier Inn withdrew their Planning Application to demolish the Glegg Arms and replace it with a standard design for an additional bedroom block, a new application has finally been submitted.

The new design, whilst an improvement on the original proposal, still involves demolishing the existing building and rebuilding the façade to imitate the current frontage, using mainly modern materials. National Planning Guidance is quite clear states clearly that replication does not conserve heritage significance.

The view of the Heswall Society is that while the structure of the Glegg Arms may preclude direct conversion to a bedroom block the current application shows no indication that alternative approaches to deliver the extra rooms that could retain the façade have been explored.

The pre-planning advice from the Council received by Premier Inn suggests we need a strongly supported challenge if we are to succeed in getting the current application rejected in favour of an improved application which preserves the historic façade of this heritage gem whilst still delivering the extra rooms the Premier Inn needs.

You are requested, therefore, to support this petition rejecting the current application (APP/26/00734) and asking for alternative designs, retaining the façade, to be properly explored.

I/We the undersigned object to the current planning application for the Glegg Arms (APP/26/00/734) because it does not preserve the historic façade of this heritage building.