Plans have been revealed to convert a long derelict former pub in Carlisle into housing.

The Railway Inn, on London Road on the southern side of Carlisle, has been closed for more than 15 years.

The former hotel and residential accommodation has stood derelict since that time.

But the Grade II listed building has recently been purchased at auction, and now new plans have been drawn up to breathe new life into the derelict building.

Planning permission is now being sought to convert the entire building into seven flats, with the construction of a mews to the rear of the former pub to form two further homes.

The plans, received earlier this month by Carlisle City Council, are set to be decided on by the local authority.

A variety of plans have previously been proposed for the conversion of the former Railway Inn, though none have come to fruition.

Planning permission was given in 2007 for the creation of four flats in the building, and again in 2011.

However these proposals for the building did not materialise.

Planning permission had also been granted in 2011 for the creation of a retail space on the ground floor of the former Railway Inn, but again, these proposals were not carried out.

Now, the new owner of the former Railway Inn hopes to, according to the proposals submitted to the city council, "bring the building back to its original state by converting the entire building to attractive residential apartments".

This would be accompanied by the "addition of a mews building to the rear".

All in all, it is proposed that eight new two-bedroom and a further one-bedroom property would be created in the development works.

The former pub, which was built in 1837, has been vacant for the more than 15 years, leading to a "dramatic deterioration" in the building materials," the planning documents explain.

"The cost of development required to change the building to residential has prevent any interest from the then owner and other developers, which has also contribution to the deterioration of the building," the documents add, explaining that as a result the building ended up at auction.

The building is described in the planning documents as "ideally situated, close to the city centre and university and at a size to create a small community of like-minded local individuals."