Plans Submitted To Turn Fire-Hit Leopard Hotel In Burslem Into 15 Flats

New plans have been submitted to turn the fire-damaged Leopard Hotel on Market Place in Burslem into 15 flats and two commercial units.

The Grade II listed former pub has been empty since 2020 and was badly damaged by fire in 2022, when about 40 firefighters were called to the building.

Planning and listed building consent applications to Stoke-on-Trent City Council propose a rear extension, nine two-bedroom flats, six one-bedroom flats and two commercial units.

The applications also seek permission for safety demolition work carried out in November 2025, and for further essential safety work, including taking down damaged sections of the building.

The planning statement describes the scheme as "heritage-led and viability-informed".

It says the plans prioritise "the most significant surviving fabric, particularly the late eighteenth century main building and circa 1830 Market Place frontage".

Parts of the rear that cannot be saved would be replaced with a sympathetic contemporary extension, according to the application.

The building was bought by Daneets Investments in 2022. An earlier plan for one commercial unit and 17 flats was withdrawn in 2025.

Josiah Wedgwood and James Brindley are said to have met there in 1765 to discuss plans for the Trent and Mersey Canal.

In a council statement, Cllr Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for growth, regeneration and transport, welcomed the applications as a step forward but said residents were "right to be fed up" with the state of the building.

He said the council would keep pressing the owner to stop the building deteriorating further, and urged people who care about the Leopard to look at the plans and give their views.

No decision has been made. People can view and comment on the plans through Stoke-on-Trent City Council's planning website.

Six Towns Daily will provide further updates if more information is released by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.