Part of Nuneaton’s Debenhams store could be demolished – to pave the way for flats and new shops.
Under plans, submitted to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, part of the prominent building could be bulldozed.
In its place will be five, three, four and six storey buildings which will boast commercial and retail on the ground floor.
There are also proposals for 73 apartments, open space landscaping.
Key planning documents, which include what the development will look like, have yet to be uploaded to the council’s website.
But the appearance of the planning application online finally puts paid to the rumours about what will happen to the once popular store.
In recent weeks the well-known frontage to the store in Newdegate Street has become a temporary home for homeless people.
Now the final decision on the application, which includes retaining the facade, rests in the hands of planners at the Town Hall and a target decision date has been set for May 26.
Store closes after nearly 50 years
The town was devastated when the news broke that the store, which had been based in the prominent building in Bridge Street for the past 48 years, was due to close.
Generations in Nuneaton mourned the loss of Debenhams, which took over from what was then the J.C Smiths building in 1972.
It had been a go-to place for generations of people from not just across Nuneaton but much further afield.
The huge department store was not just a place they went shopping but the cafe was also popular as a place for people to meet up.
Also, when the public loos in town were closed, parents and carers regularly used the toilets in the cafe as a place to take their children.
Its closure marked the loss of Nuneaton’s last remaining department store after the Co-op closed.
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