PLANS are currently being considered to turn a former florist in Ellesmere Port into a micro pub and coffee shop.

The Coach House is vying to take over from the once popular Secret Garden florist on Chester Road, Little Sutton. The unit at 361 Chester Road has been vacant since the closure of The Secret Garden last year.

The incoming business intends to sell coffee with cakes and other treats in the morning, before offering alcoholic drinks from the afternoon into the evening with the addition of bar snacks like pies and sausage rolls. It will also provide a takeaway service for hot drinks and double as a bottle shop.

Plans submitted to Cheshire West and Cheshire Council explain: "We would like to change the use of the ground floor unit that has previously been used as a bakery and more recently a flower shop. We intend on serving coffee, cakes and biscuits etc in the mornings. We will then transition into the sale of craft beers, wines and spirits in the afternoon and into the evenings. We do not intend on cooking at the premises but would like to be able to re-heat some food for sale as bar snacks, eg pies and sausage rolls. We will also offer a takeaway service for coffee and for some of our canned and bottled alcohol products, such as craft beers."

The Coach House also hopes to be able to accommodate "modest and intimate" live music performances.

The proposed opening hours are 9am to midnight Monday to Sunday, which the owners say would not "give rise to significant adverse impacts" for neighbours due to the small number of patrons that the pub will accommodate.

The plans conclude: "We feel that the proposed small drinking establishment will make a positive contribution to the vibrancy of the street scene and the local nighttime economy, adding to the local offer of refreshment experiences for residents. Especially with the ongoing construction of new homes nearby."