Plans to knock down a Cathcart pub to make way for flats and a shop have been submitted to the council.

The White Elephant, on Merrylee Road, could be demolished to allow 20 homes and a convenience store to be built on the site.

White Elephant Property Ltd, the firm behind the application, has claimed the pub is “unviable” and “underutilised” and a shop would “bolster the local economy”.

It wants to provide 11 one-bedroom flats and nine two-bedroom properties, with 21 car parking spaces for residents.

“The proposals represent the repurposing of the unviable public house into a viable business, adding to the number of jobs presently provided at the site,” the plans state “The convenience store will bolster the local economy, complimenting the existing retail offering in the city whilst enabling residents to meet their day-to-day shopping needs.”

They add: “The proposed residential aspect will comprise three-storeys of flats, above a single storey convenience store. Four-storey development is characteristic in the area with the block of flats opposite on Clarkson Road being four-storeys in height.”

The application claims there is “adequate existing local provision of facilities of equivalent community value close by”, with six pubs within one mile. It adds that four — The Bank, The Old Smiddy, Church on the Hill and the Beechwood — offer similar services to the White Elephant.

“The replacement of the public house with a convenience store allows a new community facility to be introduced onto the site,” the plans add.

“The convenience store will function as a small, local food store helping meet the day-to-day needs of local residents, comprising a local walk-in catchment population and a limited amount of pass-by trade. The store is expected to carry a basic range of groceries, ready meals, sandwiches and snacks, beers, wines and spirits and a range of fresh fruit and vegetables.”

Each flat would have a private terrace and there would be a communal terrace on the third floor, accessible to all residents.  Electric vehicle charging facilities would be provided at 15 of the 21 car parking spaces and 32 cycle parking spaces are planned in a secure bike store. There would also be six visitor cycle spaces.

Council planners are currently considering the application.