AN iconic pub that’s been in the community for over half a century is set to be knocked down and replaced with dozens of flats, if plans are approved next week.

The Dell in Prenton looks likely to be demolished for 28 affordable housing units and a car park, although the plans face some fierce opposition from local residents.

They would be built across four storeys, with the flats for rent all containing two bedrooms, and proposals are recommended for approval by Wirral Council’s planners when they meet on May 30.

In total, 118 representations have been submitted opposing the plans, with complaints including insufficient parking, potential antisocial behaviour, and that the design is “ugly”.

Allan Dollery, chairman of the Prenton Tenants and Residents’ Association, also said there had been a lack of consultation over the proposals – and that if they had been asked, the community may have been able to buy it themselves.

He said: “It’s all about money at the end of the day. I know there’s an urgency to build more accommodation, but this project has been underdone.

“We have not had any opportunity to discuss with anybody what we would like to be there.

“If we had known this was happening, we could have made a plan to try and purchase the building to use it as a local community hub for the area. It’s something that’s desperately needed, and somewhere for the kids to play.

“We are dead against [the application] and we will be having our say.”

It comes after more than 50 years of trading for the Dell, which opened on Prenton Hall Road in the 1960s and is considered a landmark by many. It was previously a hotel too, and is still operating as a pub while plans are going through the various processes.

The association want the plans to be rejected next week, but said if they must be approved, then it should be in the form of a three-storey block, and not four – or a collection of bungalows instead.

He said that would be the “same height as the nearby shops and maisonettes”, adding: “That way it wouldn’t look as ugly as we think it’s going to look.

“We disapprove because we have got no amenities on the estate, and too many flats on this part already. We just cannot see the point in having 28 more.

“There will also be an increase in cars and pollution – what about when they get visitors, too?”

He said the new building will overlook other homes, adding: “They are taking away people’s rights to the light. These people have lived here for 30 or 40 years but feel like they are being punished.”

Recommending councillors to approve the plans submitted by Onward Homes, the report to be discussed at Wallasey Town Hall said the proposed site layout will “contribute positively” to the surrounding area.

It said the development was “in keeping with the character of the residential area”, and “similar in terms of scale, bulk and position on the plot as the neighbouring four-storey flat developments”.

The block of flats will come complete with 28 off-street car parking spaces, cycle parking and bin storage.

Local Cllr Christopher Cooke said there was “strong opposition to the plans”, also saying they had come through the planning process “quite quickly” – but that he sympathises with both sides of the argument.

He said: “Residents have told me it will look a bit of an eyesore – right in front of the existing shops, and would obscure the view and change the character of the area.

“But it’s accommodation, which is in short supply in the area for single people and couples. At least this application is more like social housing than other developments we have seen here recently.”

Concluding the report, the document said: “The proposed residential scheme provides a development that is considered to reflect the established character of the area in terms of scale, siting and appearance, the development also commits to 100% affordable housing provision of 28 units.”