Councillors are due to make a decision on the installation of a plaque commemorating a woman who saved a historic Leek pub from being demolished.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's planning committee is due to meet on Thursday (11th August) to discuss the installation of a blue plaque on the Red Lion pub at Market Place.

The plaque would be installed to commemorate a group, spearheaded by a local resident called Janet Broome, who saved the pub and other nearby buildings from being demolished in the 1980s.

The pub, which was first built in the 17th century, is a Grade II listed building.

The application, submitted by Hydes Brewery, explained: "Leek and District Civic Society have assessed this building as being an important part of Leek's saved built heritage and history and wish to acknowledge the fact that the building and others around it were saved demolition in the 1980's, by the efforts of many people, the campaign being spear headed by a local lady.

"Janet Broome spear headed the opposition to the redevelopment of the central core of the town, whilst at the same time lobbying Government (National and Local) and gaining support from prominent members of society and the Architectural Profession."

Several letters of support were submitted by prominent community members in Leek - however, the application has been recommended for refusal by the district council's planning officers.

One of the letters was submitted by the current mayor of Leek, Cllr Bill Cawley.

He said: "I received an e mail from Mr McGuinness of RLM Associates asking me to support, as Mayor, the plaque on the Red Lion in memory of Janet Broome. I was very much aware of the campaign led by Janet and others to save the town from the ill advised development in the 1980s which would have torn the heart out of Georgian and Victorian Leek imposing a late 20th century shopping centre on the town.

"It was an appalling mistake to have even conceived such a plan and one wonders what Leek would now look like if the plan had been successful with a 1980s half empty, derelict shopping mall denuded of the brands like Mothercare, Dixons and Burton for which it was initially planned.

"One has to look at the Potteries Shopping Centre opened in 1988 as a wretched comparator. Incidentally the Red Lion which was empty from 1979 to the late 90s would have been demolished in the original plans.

"The irony of rejecting a plaque for Mrs Broome on conservation grounds when the building was saved by Mrs Broome and fellow campaigners by their sterling efforts does not escape me Jane Broome deserves her fight to be recognised and I fully support the application which was endorsed by a previous decision of the Town Council With the exception of Lady Elizabeth Wardle we have a shortage of memorials to women in the town. Jane's blue plaque would be an addition to the honoured pantheon."

Letters of support were also submitted by local councillors Pam Wood and Stephen Wales, a former Leek mayor, as well as local residents Roger and Janet Warrilow.

However, the plans have been recommended for refusal, with the council's planning officers saying no evidence has been submitted that Janet Broome "saved" the pub.

The officers' report says: "Officers recognise the campaign by a local resident, Janet Broome, to protect historic buildings in the town centre from town centre redevelopment proposals in the late 1980's and does not dispute her contribution in trying to save historic buildings in the town centre.

"However, no evidence has been provided that the campaigner "saved" the Red Lion from demolition. The building was listed in 1951, affording it great protection at least 25 years before the campaign.

"There were Council proposals to redevelop the town centre which could have affected historic buildings in accordance with a Development Brief produced by the Council. Planning applications were submitted by private developers in the late 1980s and were focussed on an area to the rear of The Red Lion in an area which is now the Silk Street car park and surrounding buildings. With regard to The Red Lion, the applications sought to demolish a rear projection to the pub, a later addition, possibly Victorian. The main historic part of the building including the frontage was not included in any demolition plans."

It adds: "Overall, no evidence has been found or has been brought forward that the campaigner "saved" the building from redevelopment proposals. Comments provided informally by former Council officers have indicated that there was never any realistic prospect of demolition of the Red Lion and that such a proposal would not have been entertained by the Authority."

Councillors will make the final decision on the application next week.