PLANS have been submitted to restore the stonework on the tower and frontage of a historic Weston-super-Mare building.

A Grade II listed building on Waterloo Street opened in 1885 to host the newsroom, offices, and printing presses of the newspaper that has become your Weston Mercury, which is no longer based out of the building and is printed off-site.

Now, Weston-super-Mare Town Council is looking to repurpose the iconic building to house its offices and council chamber.

The council currently uses the New Council Chamber at Weston-super-Mare Town Hall, when it is not being used by North Somerset Council.

The ex-Weston Mercury building.The ex-Weston Mercury building. (Image: Archant)

Now, an application submitted by the town council to North Somerset Council seeks listed building consent to take down and rebuild the north and south gable to the tower, make repairs to the roof timbers, and to repair “defective and failed stonework,” as well as other repairs and replacements to elements of the structure.

The plans will not change layout or appearance of the building, but are intended to improve it by repairing aspects in need of it.

A statement submitted with the application said: “The design has been led by the town council’s desire to ensure the longevity of the building and to increase services offered to meet a growing public demand.”

You can view and comment on the plans here: https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=SC4TS4LPM0B00