Bolton: Lever Arms pub to be demolished for new flats in Darcy Lever

The Lever Arms on Top O' Th' Lane, off Radcliffe Road in Darcy Lever has stood empty since 2020 and since then has become 'beyond repair' partly due to repeated acts of vandalism on the vacant site.

Plans have long been proposed to tear the building down and now a proposal has been submitted to Bolton Council to redevelop the site.

The pub has been repeatedly hit by vandalism

Cllr Sean Hornby said: “It’s a positive development but, speaking as a landlord myself, its always sad when we see a pub go.

“I think we should preserve pubs as best we can but this had become beyond repair, partly due to vandalism.”

He added: “Its not even recognisable as a pub anymore.”

Cllr Sean Hornby has said the pub "needs to come down"

“This means that the village only has one pub left which is sad for the community in Darcy Lever.”

Under the plans a total of eight new apartments will be built, one a triplex with three bedrooms, one a duplex with two bedrooms, four two bedroom flats and two one bedroom flats.

There will also be a community café at the basement level with eight parking spaces.

The plans will see eight new apartments and a café built

This marks the culmination of a long period of planning and revision with a previous proposal for the site having been withdrawn.

Under previous proposals six flats with nine car parking spaces were planned for the site, but concerns were raised about the appearance of the proposed development and the presence of bats on the site.

These are the second plans for the site to have been submitted to Bolton Council

Cllr Hornby said: “This is the second application that has been submitted, the last one, planners weren’t happy with.

“It was a design issue really and an issue with bats but these have been addressed now.”

The Little Lever and Darcy Lever ward councillor had previously said the former pub 'needs to come down' after it been repeatedly broken into.