Plans for £1.5m conversion of pub to Toby Carvery

A Toby Carvery taking over a venue currently operating as a sports pub will get investment of more than £1.5m and create more than 30 new jobs, the company has said.

The firm stated a "sense of community" would continue after people expressed concerns over the future of The Cleveland Arms on Stowheath Lane in Wolverhampton.

A petition, which said two darts teams would need a new base, attracted more than 1,000 signatures in a bid to keep the venue running.

Toby Carvery said it would welcome both teams and The Cleveland Arms name would be kept.

Parent company Mitchells & Butlers said the conversion would create "a community-based Toby Carvery" for drinkers and diners.

The company added it knew "how important the Cleveland Arms is to local people".

This sense of community, including retaining the name alongside the Toby Carvery branding, would continue, a spokesperson said.

There would be investment in darts and the pub and bar would still show football and other sports on TV, the firm promised.

The petition had carried a statement which described a "great pub in our community", adding £90,000 had been raised there for charity over the years.

The family-run location was a place where "friends gather to watch all the major sports tournaments, weekly football, have a meal and socialise in a safe, friendly environment", the statement continued.

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said the venue was a "much loved local pub in an area without many pubs at all".

The site hosted sports events, including darts and pool, and had been visited by many sports personalities, Camra added.

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