THE future of Lymm Hotel is uncertain following a proposal to open a residential care home, retirement apartments and a children's nursery on the site.

Blueprints to develop the land off Whitbarrow Road are expected to be submitted to the council in the coming weeks after a letter was sent to neighbouring properties on Statham Avenue, Statham Close and Whitbarrow Road as well as Lymm Parish Council and Cllr Ian Marks (Lymm North and Thelwall - LD).

In the letter, Suzanne Belfield, from Street Design Partnership, outlines the plans to develop the site.

She said: "As you may be aware the hotel has been making increasing losses over the past 10 years and due to the declining nature of the business the continued use is regrettably no longer viable.

"Therefore, in a joint venture partnership with McGoff Group, the owners are looking to submit an application for planning consent for a proposed mix-use development consisting of a residential care home, a block of retirement apartments and a children's nursery."

Full details of the proposed development will be published on the council's website once the application has been submitted.

Cllr Marks said he was 'disappointed' by the news about the historic hotel which was previously the base for Brazil's 1966 World Cup team including football greats Pele and Garrincha and their team mates.

He said: "I was aware that Lymm Hotel has had problems in the past but I had no idea that it was going to come to this.

"It is obviously a commercial decision.

"I don’t know whether they intend to pull down the building and start from scratch. It’s not clear.

"It’s a building with character and to lose it completely would be a huge loss.

"I’m very concerned about what this might look like by the time they have finished."

The husband of one of the employees at the hotel described the news as a 'severe shock' after he was informed by a family friend.

He said: "None of the staff had been told about this and more disgustingly they have not even concluded the deal so the staff that have now been told from friends and colleagues now know the axe is going to fall but not when.

"The fact that this comes before Christmas is another insult to the hard working staff there."

Street Design Partnership and Macdonald, who own Lymm Hotel, have been contacted for a comment but have yet to respond.