PROPOSALS to build homes on a pub site in Hamworthy have been submitted to Poole planners.

The Potters Arms at the bottom of Blandford Road was sold by brewery company Marston’s a few months ago.

Now plans have been submitted to demolish the skittle alley, storeroom and toilet and build five two-bed townhouses with garages.

The planning application submitted on behalf of Christchurch-based company Bentley Slade Ltd does not include the two-storey pub building, which includes a flat on the first floor.

Nigel Jacobs, planning policy and implementation manager, Borough of Poole said: “We can confirm that a planning application has been made for the demolition of the existing buildings and extensions to the Potters Arms and the erection of five townhouses. We are however not currently aware of any plans to demolish or convert the pub building itself.”

In the design and access statement supporting the application, it is proposed to keep the distinctive building, which is identified as a local heritage asset, and continue to use it as a drinking establishment.

The proposed, flat-roofed townhouses would be built directly behind the pub, fronting Norton Way.

There would be two storeys of living accommodation above a garage, with a parking space on the driveway and a separate pedestrian access.

Previously the site had been investigated on behalf of a retail operator interested in turning it into a convenience store but this was not pursued as it did not fit requirements.

Residents have expressed a wish that the pub should remain a ‘community facility’.

Marston’s took over the pubs run by Dorchester company Eldridge Pope.

A Potters Arms has been in the locality since the 1880s with the original one built by the Architectural Pottery Company to refresh their workers. However, it is thought the current building dates from the early 1900s.