A PLAN for a pub restaurant near Woolston has been submitted to the borough council.

Peel Investments wants to build the pub by Statham Lane, off Manchester Road, at junction 21 of the M6.

The 14-hectare site will have 85 parking spaces and a 771-square-metre catering area.

The proposed development is near land used by rare wilds birds, including one third of the UK's population of the great crested grebe.

But Brian Martin, recorder of the Woolston Eyes conservation group, does not believe the development will have a big impact.

He said: "We don't think it will have a significant effect.

"It's not going to impinge directly on the site and it is rather a small development."

The planners believe a tree screen and an earth wall will shield the development from the surrounding area.

The scheme will be assessed by the borough council's planning officers and, if planning permission is granted, building work will take 12 months.