Homes plan unveiled for eyesore Lea Manor Hotel site
An eyesore former landmark hotel could be flattened and turned into housing under new plans.
The Lea Manor Hotel on the A464 near Albrighton has been derelict for years but plans to turn the land into a residential development have now been revived.
The boarded-up 16 bedroom building has been repeatedly targeted by arsonists since closing down five years ago.
Permission was granted in 2010 for two houses but the scheme never went ahead. Now plans have been lodged to demolish the hotel and build seven homes.
The move has been backed by Albrighton Parish Council.
Despite concerns over green belt development, raised by Councillor Malcolm Pate, the majority of the council was won over by the proposals.
Councillor Kelly Jordan said: "It's a shame that the hotel has to go, many people has a good night there, but it is an eyesore."
The plans will now have to go back to Shropshire Council for approval.
Tony McGlue, a planning consultant for the development, said: "It is very encouraging that the parish council responded positively and we have support at the local level."
The venue was a top nightspot in the 1960s and 70s and it originally went up for auction with a guide price of £400,000 in June last year but it failed to sell.
The price was then slashed by 25 per cent before it going back under the hammer.
As well as being targeted by arsonists, the car park has also been blighted by flytippers while travellers moved on to the land twice in 2010.
The hotel was built by late Wolverhampton businessman Robert Eaton, who sold it in 1986.
The site was originally Lea Farm, a residential building associated with chicken farming.
