AN historic Yorkshire pub which has been closed and derelict for nearly a decade could finally be set for a new lease of life.

The Saltersgate Inn on the road between Pickering and Whitby is to be auctioned in London later this month.

The property, which has a guide price of £50,000, is being sold with planning permission for redevelopment to provide a large hotel, restaurant and bar.

York Press:

The Saltersgate Inn, pictured in 2011

York Press:

The inn dates back to 1648 but closed towards the end of 2007. It changed hands in 2008 but redevelopments hopes stalled amid the global economic downturn.

Last year, planning and legal officers at the North York Moors National Park Authority called for the Inn, which was once a popular pub and restaurant, to be restored.

Local legend claimed that the peat fire in the pub was never supposed to go out. It was said an excise man, who was carrying out an investigation into the smuggling, was killed and buried under the fire.

The building was once a haunt for smugglers taking salt and rum across the moors from boats near Whitby and Scarborough.

York Press:

A spokesman for Allsop, which is marketing the Saltersgate Inn, said the property was being sold as the vendor was currently concentrating on additional developments in the local area.

"The property is currently in a shell condition with some preliminary building works carried out to date. It is offered with planning permission for change of use to provide a hotel with restaurant and bar and may also afford potential for redevelopment of the site or other uses, subject to obtaining all necessary consents.

“The Saltersgate Inn provides a rare opportunity to purchase a historic inn steeped in folklore."

The auction will take place at the Cumberland Hotel in London on May 26.