A FORMER pub and warehouse in Colchester’s Hythe have gone on the market for £1.1million.

The Grade II listed Rising Sun pub, in Hythe Station Road, and the Maponite building, in Hawkins Road, are expected to be turned into flats.

The Maponite building is a warehouse used by Williams and Griffin.

The pub, which opened in 1789, has been closed for 20 years.

Chartered surveyors Whybrow is marketing both buildings.

Ben Taylor, head of agency, said developers have already shown interest in the site, which totals 27,400 sq ft.

He said: “The Maponite building and Rising Sun public house site is a fantastic opportunity for a developer looking to convert period buildings into unique residential offerings.

“Set in an area of substantial recent regeneration and benefiting from very strong local transport links, the site is an attractive development proposition.”

The buildings are 40 metres from Colchester’s Hythe train station.

Mr Taylor said whoever buys the site may not necessarily have to demolish either of the buildings.

He said: “There is potential to work with what is there.

“It needs a bit of TLC, but the structure of the Rising Sun itself is quite sound.

“But it is up to the purchaser of the site.

“It could make quite a feature.

There seems to be a bit of a trend at the moment for people taking over former pubs and warehouse units and converting them to residential.”

Save Britain’s Heritage and the Colchester and North-East Essex Building Preservation Trust campaigned for work to be carried out at the former Rising Sun three years ago, but it has remained boarded up.

Alistair Heron, vice-chairman of regeneration group Hythe Forward said: “As a community land trust, we’re all for inward investment to boost the right kind of local development.

“For us, there is a balance to be struck between bringing old land and buildings back into use, while making sure we maximise longterm value.

“We will need to know more about the plans before forming a view and will certainly bemaking representations to the council planning department and any purchasing party when the time is right.”

Williams and Griffin did not respond to our request for information about the site, or its plans to relocate its depot.