A POPULAR bar’s long wait to find a new home may finally be over.

The House of The Trembling Madness could move into the former home of long standing leather specialist Robson and Cooper, at 14 Lendal, if councillors give bosses the green light.

The pub, which is currently based in Stonegate, and is well known for its ground floor shop, has been searching for a new home since May 2015 when bosses were told its lease would not be renewed.

Its owner and next door neighbour, Bettys tea rooms, refused to extend their lease and forced them to start the search for a new home.

York Conservation Trust - the owners of 14 Lendal - has submitted a planning application to City of York Council in a bid to change the building from retail and residential to restaurant and bar.

If successful, the plans would see a beer shop open up on the ground floor as well as a new cafe, while the upper floors would house the bar.

A design statement submitted with the application reads: “House of The Trembling Madness is an appropriate fit for 14 Lendal, fewer alterations are required and they are smaller scale than required for the residential scheme.

“The proposal put forward in this application will put all floors into use and will mean an increased number of people will be able to visit the property and appreciate its unique interior.”

It goes on to say: “One of the main objectives of the scheme is to reveal all previously covered historic fabric and to reinstate missing parts for which evidence remains as their original configuration; these aspects enhance the heritage values of the property and can be balanced against changes proposed.”

A huge amount of work has taken place inside the building to repair it and some work is still being done to bring it up to scratch.

This has included repairs to the roof, walls, windows, shopfront and timber work.

Robson and Cooper closed down in 2014 after 170 years in York and York Conservation Trust announced plans to turn the building into flats.

However, when plans to renovate the nearby Guildhall were announced, the proposals were scrapped because views of the River Ouse would have been blocked by the new developments. The Georgian townhouse is steeped in history and is the former site of St Augustine’s Friary, where Richard III stayed when he was Duke of Gloucester. Founded in 1840, the business, which started life as a saddlery and harness maker, before evolving to include luggage repairs and sports equipment, ceased trading following the death of co-owner George Myerscough in May 2014.