Finney's Sports Bar in East View, Deepdale, is particularly popular with North End fans on matchdays.

But, with pubs and bars closing across the city on a regular basis, the owner has lodged a planning application to turn the building into apartments.

This will be used as a "Plan B" if Finney's follows in the footsteps of other pubs and starts to struggle.

The application, to Preston Council, is to turn the ground floor of the building into four apartments.

Architect Kevin McFadyen, from Ribbleton-based Harry Walters and Livesey, who has been working on the plans, said: "This is not going to be anything urgent or a rush to close the pub.

"The owner, who is not the tenant, is just covering his back really.

He's not intending to do this work in the near future – it's a Plan B.

"He's aware a lot of pubs are closing and struggling and he doesn't want to be left stranded if the tenant decides to leave.

"But we would be quite surprised if this job actually went ahead in the next two or three years. There's no pressure to close it."

It comes after a number of pubs and bars in the area were closed, including the New County Arms, opposite the prison, and Legends, next to Preston North End.

Earlier this year, licensee John Cotton said the smoking ban had hit his trade.

Since the 24-hour drinking laws were introduced in 2005, Mr Cotton applied to open round-the-clock, and it is now licensed until 12.30am every night.

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