A popular pub in Widnes could be lost after its new owners revealed plans to turn it into a convenience store.
The Majors Arms in Millfield Road was sold in October last year to the Neserasa family, who have now asked Halton Council for permission to convert it into a shop.
It is understood that the Neserasas, who also own MP Food and Wine in Belle Vale, would move into the empty first floor flat while converting the ground floor into another branch of their shop.
In his planning application, Mr Neserasa claimed the Majors had been “vacant for approximately 10 months”, adding that there was “little chance” that it would reopen as a pub.
However, the pub’s Facebook page suggests it was open as recently as October 13 and had only temporarily closed when Halton was placed into Tier 3 along with the rest of the Liverpool City Region.
In a post announcing the sale of the Majors, the team that ran the pub said they were “absolutely gutted” and had heard nothing about the sale until it was already a “done deal” on October 23.
The post did suggest, however, that the team thought there was a chance the Majors would continue as a pub, saying: “We don’t know who the new owners are or what plans they have, so until then we just have to sit and wait.
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“Hopefully this lockdown will be lifted so we can have you all in for a pint before things change.”
The post received numerous comments from regulars describing the potential loss of the pub as the “end of an era”.
Members of the public can comment on Mr Neserasa’s application until February 25 and Halton Council aims to make a decision by March 29.
