A THREE-storey hotel could be built on derelict land next to a 15th Century pub in Littlemore, nine years after permission was given.

Development firm Firoka, which owns the nearby Kassam Stadium, wants to build on land off Grenoble Road next to The Priory pub.

It received planning permission – subject to conditions – in 2005 for the project, which would include rooms and parking for 87 people.

Now it has asked Oxford City Council if it can commence building.

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Its agent JPPC Chartered Town Planners was approached for comment but did not respond to the Oxford Mail’s requests.

But Henry Venners, of JPPC, said in a letter to Oxford City Council: “I trust that you can confirm at the earliest opportunity that work can commence in the construction of the approved hotel.”

It is thought the development would be a Hampton hotel – a chain owned by global giant Hilton – should final planning permission be granted.

A spokesman for Hilton Worldwide told the Oxford Mail: “Hilton Worldwide and The Firoka Group are close to finalising plans to bring our Hampton by Hilton brand to Oxford. We hope to be able to announce more details in the near future.”

The move was welcomed by tourist group Visit Oxfordshire’s chief executive Giles Ingram, who said it was a “positive for Oxford”.

Mr Ingram added: “We need hotels in Oxford because many places around the city at the moment are trading at extremely high occupancy rates.

“With this, we have an opportunity to create jobs and more tourism.

“At the moment there is room for growth and I think this development will be particualrly appealing to business visitors, given its location near a lot of business parks and the Mini plant.

“But it will also give us more general capacity for the wider city area and create more tourism opportunities for weekend leisure.”

However, architect and Priory Road resident Peter William claimed that because planning permission was given almost a decade ago it should undergo a new consultation process.

He said: “I have been in the area for several years and have never heard mention of an agreement to build a hotel. As such, I would imagine that very few local residents are aware of it.”

Mr William said he was not opposed to the plan, but added: “I strongly suggest that it would be in the best interests of all for a new application to be required and full public consultations carried out.

“Nine years from the original application puts us in a very different time. This is three times the allowable time on current applications.”

The building would see a linked set of two-storey and three-storey blocks built on land north of The Priory pub. The blocks would be mainly bedrooms but the southern section would also feature catering, dining and reception areas.

In the original 2005 application, JPPC said the development would “enchance this part of Oxford as business and leisure resource”.

The Priory, it added, would be “the fulcrum of the development”.

However, the grade II-listed venue has been empty since June 2013, when its landlord claimed he was told to leave over mounting debts.

Firoka, owned by Firoz Kassam, holds the lease for the building – owned by Oxford City Council – which still has about 50 years left to run.

Mr Kassam told the Oxford Mail in May it would only reopen if a “viable business plan” was presented.

It was once a favourite haunt of Oxford United Football Club fans, but hopes it might reopen now seem increasingly bleak.

The pub is included in the plans, with one condition put in place by Oxford City Council in 2005 stating some repairs must be carried out.

Oxford City Council was asked to comment but failed to respond before we went to press.

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