The owners of a pub described as the birthplace of Black Sabbath insisted progress was being made on restoring the venue – but their latest move has angered campaigners.

The Crown Inn in Station Street, known as the venue where the iconic Birmingham band performed their first gig, has been vacant for many years despite its historic importance.

Campaigners have been fighting to ‘save’ the city centre street, arguing the road was steeped in cultural importance and that Black Sabbath’s legacy should be properly celebrated.

The future of the street and its venues, which runs behind Grand Central and New Street, was thrust back into the spotlight last year following the sudden closure of the Electric Cinema.

But new plans by The Crown’s owner Toyoko Inn, which has insisted it has plans to restore the pub, have sparked a fresh wave of anger among campaigners. The company is seeking approval for an extension of the car park use on the site for a three-year period.

Darren John, from the Save Station Street Campaign, argued in his objection that the council granting the application could mean “Toyoko will just twiddle their thumbs for another three years, neglecting The Crown and Station Street despite their promises.”

He claimed Toyoko Inn had “repeatedly failed to make any meaningful progress on their development plans”.

“We urge the council to reject this application in full and hold the site owners accountable for their long-standing failure to deliver,” he wrote.

“A clear, enforceable timetable for permanent development should be required as a minimum.”

But a cover letter, included within the application, said the proposals for the car park would “enable a stable revenue stream” for Toyoko Inn.

It said this would “assist with bringing forward a planning application for the car park site and the reuse of The Crown as a potential music venue”.

“At the time of writing Toyoko Inn are finalising their plans of the wider site,” the letter said. “It is the intention that the scope of the future project will deliver two connected and coherent elements.”

It said they included a new hotel with around 300 beds on the existing car park at the rear of the site and the restoration of The Crown, described as one of Birmingham’s most famous historic music venues.

“The pub is a historically important site, and its new vision will reflect and celebrate this heritage,” the document said.

It continued that the proposed scheme would make an “important contribution” towards the regeneration of Southside District, with the economic impact predicted upwards of £4 million.

On what progress has been made to advance the project, the letter said Birmingham City Council had committed its support to the project.

“Discussions and expressions of interest are well advanced with funders in respect of the restoration and construction works,” it added.

On the latest car park proposal, it said: “Allowing Toyoko Inn to continue to benefit from any revenue generated by the existing car park in the interim period will help fund the development costs of bringing forward a planning application and the restoration of a designated heritage asset.”

It said this would help contribute towards the “achievability and deliverability” of the project, as well as increase the economic and cultural benefits.

Black Sabbath have sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

The band are recognised on the Broad Street Walk of Stars, alongside individual stars in their own right, together with a bench in their honour on Broad Street.

Earlier this year, the city council  said it would give each of the four founding members of the heavy metal band the Freedom of the City.