AN EMPTY building in the heart of Salisbury could be given a new lease of life under new plans.

Plans have been submitted that would see the former Pizza Hut building at 40 Blue Boar Row turned into a pub – complete with a garden for drinkers to soak up the sun in.

The four-storey building has been left empty since the closure of the restaurant in 2020.

Applicant Amber Taverns would take on the running of the pub and the plans said their business manages a portfolio of 200 “high-quality community pubs” across England, Scotland and Wales.

They said their business model aims to provide “value-for-money, high-quality beverage offerings in welcoming environments, distinguishing them as a primarily ‘wet-led’ pub company.”

What sets them apart from other pub operators, Amber Taverns said, is their track record of bringing vacant units back into use while undertaking sensitive refurbishment works.

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The proposed pub would open from 10am to 12.30am Mondays to Thursdays, with the pub closing at 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, 12.30am on Sundays and 3.20am on Bank Holidays.

A “sensitively designed” shop front would replace the building’s frontage, with a public access retained off Blue Boar Row.

A compact beer garden has also been planned for the rear of the building, but this would close to the public by 11pm.

No kitchen facilities have been proposed in the plans as the pub would only serve basic bar snacks.

Two self-contained and soundproofed karaoke areas have also been planned.

Toilets would be located on the ground floor.

Living accommodation has also been planned for the manager found on the upper floors.

The plans said: “The application site is currently a vacant building, which is showing clear signs of decline and represents an inefficient use of valuable city centre space.

“The proposed development will secure a new, viable, and appropriate role for the building, directly addressing its current underutilisation.”

To view and comment on the plans, visit the planning section of Wiltshire Council’s website and search reference PL/2025/06321.

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