A MAJOR York pub has closed with plans to relaunch it as a cocktail bar.

Thomas’s in Museum Street ceased trading earlier this month, but now the Stonegate Pub Group has submitted plans to turn it into a Be At One Cocktail Bar.

Three separate planning applications have been submitted to City of York Council for the conversion of the Grade 2-listed building in a designated conservation area, which dates back to the 18th Century.

They concern internal and external alterations, including new doors, toilet facilities, fixtures and fittings, plus new signage.

The company has stressed in its plans that the signage is an ‘essential ‘ part of the redevelopment, to attract custom to keep the building in use. Furthermore, the signage would not harm the nearby surroundings.

The application commented: "Signage is a necessary and essential part of the street-scape announcement of commercial leisure facilities within the local street scene. The replacement signage is an essential part of the applicant’s strategy to rebrand and attract custom to ensure the continued economic viability of this existing public house. The replacement signage is intended to rebrand, visually enhance and refresh the appearance of these premises, to update its attractiveness and appeal to customers.

It continued: "The replacement signage scheme has been designed to rebrand the premises and attempt to attract more customers to the site to enhance the economic well-being of this existing commercial leisure facility.

"If additional custom cannot be attracted to the site, there is a risk that the operators may consider shutting the property. The closure of this public house would have a far more detrimental impact upon the special historic significance, interest, character and appearance of these listed premises, the settings of the neighbouring heritage assets and the wider conservation area than the proposed replacement signage scheme.

The application added: "We have found that there would be a negligible impact on the character and appearance of these heritage assets and their settings resulting from the proposed replacement signage scheme. This is due to the proposed replacement signage scheme being sympathetically formed and sited, which would cause no unacceptable impact upon these heritage assets that would cause irreversible harm or harm which is not of an ephemeral nature."

A spokesperson for Stonegate Group told the Press: “We are working on plans to reopen the site, formally Thomas’s of York, and look forward to welcoming customers back soon.”