A Shropshire pub which has been shut since it was gutted by a fire two years ago is to be demolished to make way for a housing development, it has been revealed.

Arsonists were blamed for the fire in 2008 at The Pigeon Box in Snedshill, Telford, which was already boarded up and had closed five months before.

Now developers Bromford Homes want to knock the pub down and build 27 homes on it and a patch of land behind it.

The mainly red-brick housing development will consist of four two-bedroomed homes, 14 three-bed and nine four-bed.

Of those, up to eight will be set aside for affordable housing.

Plans have been submitted to Telford & Wrekin Council and a decision is expected early next year.

The report says: “This submission seeks to gain approval for a residential development of 27 new homes.

“The site is in a largely residential area, with shops and school close by. It is accessed from an existing entrance off Priorslee Road, adjacent to a run-down public house, which is to be demolished as part of the redevelopment.

“Residential development of the site offers a viable and sustainable solution to a parcel of undeveloped land close to Telford town centre.

“It is surrounded by similar type developments and benefits from excellent transport links, as well as a strong infrastructure of schools and amenities to support it.

“The scheme paves the way for establishing a quality and level of design for other future residential developments in a similar location.”

The roof of the pub was reduced to a burnt shell following the blaze in 2008, which police said at the time was of “dubious origin”.

Residents in Priorslee were told to stay inside and shut their windows after the fire engulfed the pub and smoke rose from the building. The roof and the first floor of the pub were gutted by the fire.

Permission was previously granted for 31 new homes on the site in 2008 but the development never materialised.