A York Pub whose landlord has been convicted for letting the business be too noisy hopes to keep it going by making it smaller and creating holiday letting rooms.

Paul Harris, who took over the pub in 2003, has applied to City of York Council to make the changes at The Clockhouse, Kingsway West, Acomb, blaming pandemic-related lockdowns for driving the move.

His planning application says the main part of the building was erected in the 1930s and created in an art deco style and was known as the Acomb Hotel.

A modern extension was added in 2007-2008, which housed a bookmaker. The pub then changed its name, becoming the Clockhouse.

The bookmaker operated until 2020 and Mr Harris no longer wishes to renew its lease.

Now, he proposes the building containing the bookmakers be converted into four letting rooms, with four more letting rooms going in part of the pub.

His application said: “The increase in lettable space (for holiday accommodation) will obviously reduce the size of the public house and therefore the number of patrons who would therefore be more easily managed which should also reduce the perceived noise and nuisance.”

The existing pub occupies a ground floor area of 309m2 set around a public bar, with a pool room and public bar to the frontage.

The application continued: “Since the lockdowns enforced during the global pandemic in 2020/21 there is not the demand to sustain the pub in its current capacity hence the proposal to partition off an area to create an area for letting rooms to provide increased diversification within the business and ensure its success and viability in the future.”

The bookmakers, totalling 106.85m2, would provide four rooms. The pub would also provide four further rooms for holiday letting plus a linen/cleaners store. Some 155.95m2 of space would be used this, leaving the pub with 212.32m2 of space, just over half its current size.

Six new windows would be installed to give the rooms light and ventilation and there would be a reduction in the number of entries to provide them with more private/dedicated access.

There would also be EV charging points in the car park and with the work, if approved, taking place in the ground floor only, there would be no overshadowing/overlooking of nearby properties from the scheme.

The application concluded: “The proposed scheme provides a suitable use of an existing redundant building whilst also maximises the potential of an existing business ensuring its success and providing employment for many years to come.

“There is no adverse impact on the Local Area and amenity spaces are preserved. The building will be sustainable reducing the impact on the environment and is compliant with national and local planning policy. It is hoped officers will concur and support the application.”