A NEW dental surgery could be coming to a town in place of a former pub.

Plans have been submitted to Hyndburn Council for the former Wellington Hotel on Wellington Street, Clayton-le-Moors.

Clayton Dental Care, currently based in Pickup Street a few hundred yards away, wants to move to the site.

In the statement supporting the application it is claimed that the new clinic would ‘benefit the locals by providing and meeting the demand of the nearby residents’.

It said: “The practice is moving from a residential building with no parking to this commercial building with parking available in close proximity.

“The new building will have better facilities for disabled patients compared to the existing premises.

“We have allowed for wheelchair access in all doorways.

“We have made sure to accommodate all necessary services within a dental practice to be on the ground floor to allow for level access.”

The clinic will be open between Monday and Friday between and 8am and 8pm and then on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm.

The current owners have said they will be investing in the property to maximise its use and regenerate the area.

The agents said: “With this being a new business venture the new owners see good potential in the site and are looking to open up new vacancies and look to employing new staff from the local and wider area; thus bringing about direct community benefits.

“This step would further support wider regeneration strategies for the local area.

“There is a strong need for well-located and easily accessible clinics that offer the right services for the local demographic.”

Cllr Tim O’Kane, who represents the Clayton-le-Moors ward said: “It is regrettable losing a pub but it is good bringing a building which has been derelict for three years.

“There has been trouble with vandalism on the property and fires on the site and there was a lot of local concern."