Plans are submitted to turn an historic former Wigan pub into a nursery
An historic former Wigan pub would become a nursery school if planning permission is given.
The Hesketh Arms building, on Shevington Moor in Standish, would be retained and renovated into a pre-school for up to 57 children, from babies to the age of four.
The Grade two-listed building - which dates from the 1700s - has been a home since the pub closed in the 2000s.
it was particularly popular as a hostelry with families back then because it not only had a restaurant but also a playground and animal enclosures.
After it shut, local campaigners, fearing that it might be demolished, secured grade two listed status for the building because of its historical and architectural significance.
Many were surprised that it didn’t already have that protection.
it is claimed that Oliver Cromwell once stayed a night at the inn during the English Civil War (1641-1651).
The nursery would be operated by Beyond The Nest, which already runs another nursery in St Helens and says that between eight and 13 staff would work there.
The application states that traffic and parking problems would be minimal and nine parking spaces are included in the plans.
A report states that the building “has been identified as an ideal site due to the excellent public transportation and highways linkages and the current shortage of nurseries within the immediate vicinity coupled with the proximity of a wide range of family-sized accommodation that will no doubt require nursery accommodation now or in the near future.”
Comments can be made via Wigan Council’s planning portal.