Plans to demolish the Coach and Horses pub in St Clement's have been submitted to Oxford City Council.

Developers want to knock down the 19th-century pub and replace it with a four-storey building, with a restaurant on the ground floor and seven flats on upper floors.

The pub, which is in a conservation area, was closed by Morrells six years ago.

But residents fear the demolition of the old building will hasten the loss of "the old St Clement's area".

Hinksey Hill-based John Phillips Planning Consultants, which submitted the application, said the empty building had become run down and detracted from the area. They added that demand for pubs in the area had diminished, while a restaurant would be less likely to entail antisocial problems.

But Robin Spokes, who lives in nearby Bath Street, said residents were already upset about the loss of popular pubs, including the nearby Plasterer's Arms, in Marston Road, which was replaced by flats.

Mr Spokes said: "People in the area will be worried about the impact demolishing the Coach and Horses will have on the whole look of the area.

"They are ruining the old St Clement's. The old looking facades are being destroyed. Just across the road old cottages were pulled down to make way for more new flats."

The application was submitted as Labour city councillor Colin Cook was preparing to submit a motion to Monday's meeting of Oxford City Council designed to reduce the loss of more pubs to developers.

Mr Cook will call for an amendment to the local development plan, making it necessary to demonstrate that pubs are not viable before they can be closed.