A planning application has gone in for the car park and bowling green at a closed down Heysham pub to be used for a car dealership.
David Standen, of Central Car and Van Sales and owner of the Cumberland View Hotel on Heysham Road, has applied for change of use on part of the car park and bowling green, and a former clubhouse, for his vehicle sales business.
The future use of the Cumberland View building itself, which closed in 2024, remains unclear - with holiday or residential accommodation looking most likely.
Documents submitted with the plans say that a pub is no longer viable on the site.
The Cumberland View was built as a pub and small hotel in around 1900.
Central Car and Van Sales is an established dealership in Morecambe of more than 25 years specialising in car and van sales and hire.
The business was based at Whitegate on the White Lund estate and moved onto the Cumberland View site last year.
The part retrospective application is for the "change of use of part of car park/bowling green for use for car sales, the laying of hard surface on bowling green and a single storey side extension to existing outbuilding for associated sales office/valeting".
"Despite several attempts to revamp the business, including two re-openings in the last four years, it is understood the pub closed its doors for the final time approximately 11 months ago and the site placed on the market," says a statement submitted with the plans.
"Mr Standen purchased the whole site. The site includes the former public house, the car park, the former bowling green area to the rear, together with a small stone and slate outbuilding which it is understood was used by the bowling club.
"At the time the applicant acquired the site in July 2025, the bowling green had not been in use since January 2022, was severely overgrown with little evidence of its former recreational use, the associated clubhouse had been vandalised and damaged following a fire.
"The Cumberland View Hotel experienced a prolonged period of economic decline prior to its final closure.
"The bowling green and clubhouse were historically operated under a short-term private lease with a local bowling club. This lease was not renewed in late 2021 following acquisition of the site by Thwaites Brewery Group. The bowling green therefore ceased to operate in January 2022 following a commercial decision by the landowner.
"Although the pub reopened in July 2023 following refurbishment, the bowling green was not reinstated and no investment was made to return the land to recreational use.
"As far as is known there was no attempt by the council to persuade or require the former owners to reinstate the bowling green at the time the pub reopened.
"The land subsequently fell into disuse and became overgrown and visually degraded. Despite attempts to revive the business the brewery concluded that a viable public house was not viable in this location.
"The final closure of the public house in December 2024 and the decision of the brewery to place it on the market removed any realistic prospect of the bowling green being brought back into use.
"The current owner has confirmed that the former public house use is not viable and there is no intention or prospect of reusing the building as a pub and reinstating the bowling green. He is considering what other options are available for the former pub building, with some form of holiday/residential accommodation being most likely.
"The proposal brings an abandoned and degraded site back into active use, improves appearance and management, and results in no loss of accessible community leisure provision."
Below, the pub pictured during a period of closure in early 2023.
A statement submitted with the plans says that the Central Car and Van Sales base on White Lund "is no longer sufficient to meet the business’s needs".
"A significantly larger area is required. In addition, the open car lot is located in a prominent position at the entrance to the estate in an exposed position and, being unfenced, the vehicles have been subject to both vandalism and theft over the years.
"Finally, while the repair building is owned by the applicant, the car lot is leased is not owned by the business but by a third party, and the current lease is shortly to expire.
"Mr Standen, therefore, requires alternative premises to secure the future of the business.
"The above factors have led the owner to consider the future requirements of the business, primarily an alternative larger site wholly within the ownership and control of the operator and enjoying a higher level of security and casual oversight."
The plans say that the former clubhouse building will be refurbished with a small extension and used as a sales office with a covered valeting area.
The statement says that the work is partly retrospective as "the works have already commenced, the applicant not being aware that planning permission was required for such minor works".
Hours of opening proposed are Monday to Friday - 9am to 6pm; and Saturday 9am to 5pm.
Two members of existing staff will be transferred to the new site and one additional full-time job created.
Thirteen parking spaces are retained to serve whatever use the pub building may have in the future.
The plans are publicly available in the planning section of lancaster.gov.uk - reference number 25/01299/FUL.
Lancaster City Council will make a decision on whether to grant planning permission in due course.
Read more: Heysham pub closes again as owners "review all options" for its future - Beyond Radio
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