A major Merseyside JD Wetherspoon has been put on the market after a failed expansion left a seaside town looking like an "eyesore".
The Master Mariner in New Brighton, had been the subject of a planned £3m revamp which included expanding into the adjoining empty Lacy’s Bar. The pub originally opened in 2013 on the site of the former RJs and the Playas Lounge nightclubs.
In March 2022 the seaside bar and restaurant closed as work began on the transformation. Works were set to be completed by August of the same year but the pub chain announced its doors had to remain closed while works continued, with no reopening date given. In April 2023, Wetherspoons announced the development would not be taken any further, and that the site would be sold.
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The Master Mariner and the now empty plot of land next doors has now been listed for auction with a guide price of £300,000 to £350,000. Being sold by Allsop, the property is described as a significant retail and leisure destination. The auction date is set for Wednesday, May 17, and can be attended online or in person in London.
The plans for The Master Mariner expansion were approved in the summer of 2021. Wetherspoons initially bought the neighbouring Lacy’s Bar in 2015 but was previously slammed for not developing the "eyesore" building.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon told the ECHO in March: “Wetherspoon can confirm that it has stopped redevelopment work at The Master Mariner pub (New Brighton) and will not progress with the work. The building and the land is to be put up for sale.
“All staff will continue to work at other Wetherspoon pubs and there will be no redundancies as a result of the pub being sold. This is a commercial decision by Wetherspoon. The company remains committed to the Wirral and have a number of pubs in the region, including the recently opened pub in Heswall.”
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