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A former pub in Blackwood could become a children’s nursery if Caerphilly County Borough Council backs new plans.

The Masons Arms, on Bridge Street, later became a Sri Lankan restaurant but now stands empty – and Jason Roberts-Jones of Rogerstone-based Greenfields Nursery has applied for planning permission to breathe new life into the building.

Employing 20 people, the new nursery would be split over two floors, with large rooms for each care group.

Designs submitted to Caerphilly Council show the downstairs bar and dining area could become spaces for older children attending the nursery, aged between two and four.

A kitchen would be retained on the ground floor.

Upstairs, the applicant has proposed reconfiguring smaller rooms into two larger areas for children aged below two, with a separate staff room area.

Planning documents also show the building has been placed on the market, with Caerphilly-based estate agents Brinsons, for a guide price of £250,000.

Brinsons describes the “prominent” property as “currently fitted out and refurbished for its use as a restaurant”, but with the “opportunity” for redevelopment.

The Masons Arms later became a restaurant, under the names Sam’s Brasserie and then Chef Ceylon, before it closed down.

Blackwood Town Council has said it supports the nursery conversion, but hopes children attending the new business will be “dropped off and picked up in the car park, and not on the main road”.

The change-of-use application is currently out for public consultation, and can be viewed on the Caerphilly County Borough Council website under reference 24/0338/COU.