Plans have been lodged to turn a derelict historic pub into a 14-bed hotel.

The scheme is for the former Eagle Inn in Ramsgate High Street, which has fallen into severe disrepair and suffered vandalism since its closure almost 20 years ago.

Previous plans to turn the pub - believed to be one of the oldest in the town - into a hotel and then flats in 2016 never came to fruition, despite being approved.

Now, new owners the Williams Group UK, who bought the property following an auction in November where its guide price was £250,000, have already stepped in to try and stem its deterioration.

The building is Grade II-listed and sits within the Ramsgate Conservation Area.

It once had a magnificent model of an eagle over its entrance.

The building suffered a fire in the early 1980s and some of the charred structural timbers remain. But, sadly, all of the original windows, finishes and roof structure were lost.

The plan for the building, which dates back to 1770s, is to sympathetically restore the structure and turn it into a hotel with the erection of a two and three-storey extension at the rear.

In their proposal, the applicants say they want to create a B&B/hotel with modern standards of bedroom space and en-suite facilities as well as ancillary spaces.

They add: “It is hoped that the benefits of re-instating one of the oldest pubs in Ramsgate into accommodation for tourists will outweigh the perceived harm of removing the rear structures that have largely been rebuilt in the late 1980s with little remaining fabric of historic importance.

“The proposed works are in keeping with the character of the building, are of high quality and enhance the dwelling.

“The current 20th century interventions detract from the listed building so efforts have been made to restore elements of the building.”

The building was largely rebuilt after a fire, reopening in 1986.

It is one of the oldest surviving pubs in Ramsgate, having originally been three small cottages in 1763.

A previous applicant had purchased the building and submitted plans to redevelop it into a hotel and then flats in 2016.

These plans never materialised, with the building falling into disrepair and used as a squat for a period of time.