Pub giant JD Wetherspoon’s march on the Westcountry has taken aim at another listed building as part of its plans to open more sites across the region.

The pub chain is reportedly in talks with a view to taking over the grade I listed Manor Hotel in Cullompton, Devon, in a £650,000 deal – just three months after the company bought the grade II listed high-end restaurant, wine bar and hotel, Browns, in Tavistock, which was sold off a guide price of £1.5 million for the freehold.

Wetherspoons said it had plans to plough £2.1 million into the redevelopment of

the hotel in Tavistock’s West Street.

In Cullompton, the pub chain was rumoured to have made an attempt to take over Manor Hotel in Fore Street in 2011 but plans fell through.

However, discussions over a new deal have resumed since the building was vacated by tenant landlords a month ago.

Jimmy Sivlal, who owns the historic coaching inn, is reported to have placed the property on the market for £650,000.

However, developers suggest the Manor House building is in need of extensive refurbishment and other repairs are needed after a lorry ran into the side wall of the pub a month ago.

Wetherspoons has been reported to have been aiming to find a suitable site in Cullompton as part of its plans for expansion in the Westcountry.

The firm, which runs 930 pubs, told the Western Morning News earlier this year how it was planning to open more sites in Devon after unveiling an increase in half-year profits.

The company said it was also in negotiations over other sites in Teignmouth, Tavistock and Okehampton, but had not confirmed the exact locations.

It is hoped that the Manor House Hotel could be vastly improved by the pub chain if the deal goes through.

Jane Campbell, a councillor in Cullompton, said: “It would be brilliant to have a thriving business like JD Wetherspoon in our town.

“Any work carried out to the property would take time but would be highly beneficial to the people of Cullompton.”

The pub retains many of its original features dating back to the 1500s including stone walls, timber beams and open fireplaces. The large premises have an open-plan bar area, a games room, a private dining room and a function room alongside a commercial kitchen.

On the first floor there are ten en-suite letting rooms and a three-bedroom owner’s accommodation.