Famous Tyneside pub which featured in TV series Hebburn set for transformation into restaurant and flats

Plans to transform a vacant pub into a vibrant restaurant and residential flats have been lodged with South Tyneside Council's planning department.

The application concerns The Kelly public house, located off Hedgeley Road in Hebburn, which hit the property market last year after shutting its doors earlier in 2023. Property agents had previously hinted at potential new purposes for the site in an online listing.

I and A Commercial Properties Ltd has put forward proposals to repurpose the ground floor of the building from a "public house to cafe/restaurant". Additionally, the plans call for "alterations and extensions" to the first and second floors to accommodate residential living spaces.

READ MORE:The rise and fall of Newcastle's upmarket Eldon Garden shopping mall

READ MORE:Sunderland's Festival of Light set to dazzle again at Mowbray Park this October

The proposed development includes converting the first floor into a five-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) featuring individual bedrooms alongside communal living and kitchen areas. Further residential plans for the first floor encompass a one-bedroom flat and two two-bedroom flats, with another two-bedroom flat planned for the top floor.

Should the plans be granted, the pub's upper levels would be redeveloped into a five-bedroom HMO, a single one-bedroom flat, and three two-bedroom flats. Each self-contained or non-HMO flat is designed to include combined living and kitchen spaces as well as storage areas.

Indicative ground floor blueprints reveal the layout for the prospective restaurant/cafe. The proposed layout includes a spacious seating area and several serving spaces, featuring a counter and a 'dessert display'.

Additional areas on the ground floor encompass a staff room, office and cold room, kitchen, staff and customer toilets, and an entrance to the flats above. A verdict on the planning application will be reached following a period of council consultation.

The Kelly pub was a well-supported local pub before its closure, having one of the only function rooms in the area. And it was familiar to viewers nationwide during the BBC2 screening of Hebburn - co-written by Jason Cook and starring fellow local comedian Chris Ramsey, alongside cast members including Jim Moir (Vic Reeves) and Gina McKee - which ran for two series from 2012-13.

The exterior doubled as Swayze's in the show, a focal point for much of the comedy action, apparently in a jokey reference to a local pub called The Road House which shared its name with a Patrick Swayze film.

Public feedback on the plans can be submitted via South Tyneside Council's planning portal website until 25th September 2024.

For further details on the plan or to monitor its progress, visit the council's planning portal website and search for reference: ST/0516/24/FUL.