PLANS to extend a former pub and create a new bed and breakfast have been shelved due to the pandemic.

Earlier this year permission was given for the Flag Inn, in Colchester Road, Wivenhoe, to extend create a nine-bedroom bed and breakfast, a takeaway facility and keep a community bar area.

But plans for the bed and breakfast are no longer viable due to the effects of Covid-19.

Instead the pub's owners have applied to Colchester Council to create a nine bed house of multiple occupancy (HMO).

One of the applicants, who has lived in Wivenhoe for many years, ran his own pub in the town for six years.

In the application he said: "With the current worldwide pandemic there is clear reduced, and potentially zero demand for travel.

"This in turn reduces the potential revenue for a pub/hotel. It is simply not commercially viable to create nine hotel bedrooms.

"Not only is there no demand there is also no appetite for funding. All funding we had in place to build the scheme is now not available due to Covid - 19.

"In order to keep the scheme alive, we suggest that we keep the plans the same but change the business model and scheme to incorporate a residential and commercial split.

"We intend to keep all current commercial spaces and keep them trading as a public house/restaurant/ takeaway. We only want to change the commercial hotel bedrooms into HMO rooms.

"This will enable to us to continue with the scheme and improve the dilapidated building."

The planning application said there was "clear demand" for the space from nearby Essex University.

It added: "The Flag has a proven history of failure in its current format.

"The addition of extra rooms will create a revenue stream that will make the business viable and is imperative to the business model."

Colchester Council will have the final say.