A former prominent pub and hotel will become housing under new ownership, the Echo can reveal.

The Freemantle, which sits between Paynes Road and Park Road near Shirley, was purchased before going to auction in March, as previously reported.

The building was bought for a sum that sat between its guide price of £360,000 to £380,000.

The corner plot of nearly 0.16 acres was previously home to a pub and hotel, which has not reopened since the Covid lockdown.

But now the 10-bedroom building will be renovated and turned into housing, which the buyer hopes will “create something” that “services the community”.

READ MORE: Former pub The Freemantle in Shirley, Southampton sold

The buyer, who wished to stay anonymous, told the Echo that the bar area of the building has become “fairly dilapidated” and “needs extensive work doing”.

The buyer said: “In essence, the pub element of the building has been shut now for the best part of five years, it’s been shut down and left open.

“It's been empty for some years and I believe the previous owner did try to rent it out to a new landlord, and given the current state of the economy, repurposing the building for residential use is the most sensible.

The buyer, who wished to stay anonymous, said they want to reshape the whole look of building within six to nine months.The buyer, who wished to stay anonymous, said they want to reshape the whole look of building within six to nine months. (Image: Supplied) “Certainly the pub side is derelict, cob webs, it needs extensive work.”

The buyer, who said they have “good experience” in the housing sector from other projects, said it makes most sense to turn the building into accommodation.

READ MORE: The Freemantle Hotel to be auctioned in Southampton

“We hope to, in the next six to nine months, reshape the whole look of the building,” they said.

“We want to create something for the community, that services everyone, there’s off-road parking there so it’s a good size of site and location.”

The buyer said that given a “shortage” of housing locally, it made most sense to develop the site into apartments.

They did not believe that doing renovations to reopen the building as a pub would be realistic or sustainable.

The buyer said: “We don’t know how many it will be yet, but we will initiate the planning application within the next couple weeks.

“We want to redevelop it into commercial accommodation.”