Town councillors are fully in favour of Penrith’s iconic Two Lions building being brought back to life as a pub and hotel — but they want to see a key access link for the town restored.
Listed building consent for external and internal alterations to enable the re-instatement as a public house and hotel of the Great Dockray-based Two Lions building is being sought by its owners from Westmorland and Furness Council.
At a meeting of Penrith Town Council’s planning committee on Monday, at which the application was discussed, councillor Hillary Snell said: “I am desperate for this to get done, finished and reopen, because I think it is such a beautiful building inside.
“We can only accept that they are going to do it carefully, as has been requested of them, and I would just welcome it with open arms.”
Deputy town clerk Ros Richardson said the heritage officer had stated that the scheme involves a less substantial impact than what was initially proposed as part of an outline application.
Concern remains, however, over a public footpath beside the property which is now gated.
Earlier this year, the town council had indicated, when considering the outline application, that it would like to see that passageway left open and become a public right of way.
Town councillor Valerie Bowen said there were very careful plans for preserving the building’s decorative plaster ceilings. However, the passageway was to become a corridor to the toilets, under the plan which had been submitted.
Charlie Shepherd, who also sits on the town council’s planning committee, said: “The tragedy is that when Sainsbury’s were given planning permission (for the New Squares development) they were allowed to pull down the modern part at the back (of the Two Lions) which was where the toilets and everything were and if it hadn’t been for that there would be no problem, but that’s history.”
He added: “Looking at the plans, I can see no reason at all why, with a little bit of imagination, that footpath couldn’t be maintained.
“It is a very key link to the town and I’m sure when planning permission was given for New Squares, nobody imagined it being taken out.”
