Previously owned by billionaire Tory donors and put up for lease last year in a quest for a new landlord, an historic late 1600s Cotswold pub is now at the centre of a planning bid which – if it's approved – will create SEVEN new homes.

David and Simon Reuben, who own Wellington Pub Company (along with 16 UK race courses), advertised their Grade II-listed Wheatsheaf Inn, on Cirencester's Cricklade Street, last summer as a free-of-tie prospect, the popular venue having closed in 2022 when landlords David and Carolyn Watson decided to retire after 29 years of pulling pints.

In their ups and downs as landlords, Mr Watson saw the pub come close to a national accolade as Sports Bar of the Year, host the FA Cup for fans to see first-hand and, in 2003, survive two assaults, one of which saw Mr Watson's assailant jailed for six months after a headbut attack in the pub's garden.

Letting agents Fleurets subsequently marketed the lease, with a rateable value set at £13,500 a year, with domestic council tax accommodation set in band B.

But a Design and Access statement, from Malmesbury-based architects Clark and Maslin, now before Cotswold District Council, reveals how attempts to keep the pub as a going concern have failed. Their client and the new owner, Tom Pitman of Boakley Cliff Farm, near Tetbury, hopes to convert the existing infrastucture and add new domestic housing.

The statement said: "The previous owners of the property had sought tenants for the new pub for well over two years before our client purchased it, indicating the building is no longer of commercial interest...The pub has been vacant since June 2022, when the last landlords retired, citing a decline in trade. This is evidenced across the UK, with much of the hospitality sector at risk due to changes in demand and market conditions."

It added: "The previous owners and tenants allowed the buildings to fall into a state of disrepair, which is particularly evident with the outbuildings, and an eyesore to the historically significant street scene of Cricklade Street."

If agreed, a change of use, from commercial (Sui Generis) to private residential (Use Class C3), would be suitable given the address is "sustainably located in the town centre of Cirencester, within walking distance of local facilities and surrounded by established residential and commercial facilities", the document adding that "from an economic standpoint, the new dwellings will benefit the local economy at both the construction phase and after completion. This will be through providing work to local contractors and consultants at the construction phase and then providing seven new households of consumers for the town centre, resulting in an increase in local authority revenue".

The applicant also stressed: "Whilst the proposal will result in the loss of a community facility, its central location means that it is located within walking distance of a high volume of other pubs and eating establishments."

● The first registered licencing details for the Wheatsheaf state it was owned in 1891 by Cirencester Brewery, with an annual rateable value of £24.