Developers have been refused planning permission to knock down the last remaining pub on a Bristol housing estate. In a victory for campaigners trying to reopen the Giant Goram in Lawrence Weston, councillors said the pub needed to be protected from a housing plan.
The pub, on Barrowmead Drive, opened in the 1950s but has been closed for several years. The building was bought by Hawkfield Homes in 2019 who applied to Bristol City Council for permission to knock it down and build eight houses there, as well as a new “micropub”.
But the plans have faced stiff opposition as the micropub would have space for only a few customers, and there are no other pubs nearby. A local community group, Save the Giant Goram, is campaigning to buy the pub and reopen it, offering a range of activities as well.
Councillors on the development control A committee voted to refuse permission on Wednesday, October 23. This follows a previous meeting last month, when the same committee voted to defer a decision and give planning officers time to write up robust reasons for refusal.
Chris Faulkner Gibson, from the Campaign for Real Ale, said: “A micropub will not meet the needs of the local community. But a community-owned and operated full-sized pub — run on the Blunkett Foundation’s ‘More than a Pub’ model — most certainly will.”
Labour Councillor Tom Blenkinsop, representing Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston, added: “Lawrence Weston is one of the most deprived areas in Bristol and the United Kingdom, it needs all the help it can get. I think there are better options that remain available.”
The key question was whether the tiny new bar counted as “alternative provision” to the existing Giant Goram. Council policy says pubs can’t be knocked down, unless there are alternative ones within 800 metres or a 10-minute walk. Developers and a council planning officer said the micropub counted as an alternative, but this was disputed by local campaigners and councillors.
Paul Jobson, representing the developer, said: “The proposal will deliver a micropub which is considered a viable alternative for the former public house. Refusal will be difficult to justify and clearly challengeable at appeal. I would urge members to determine the application with their heads, rather than perhaps their hearts.”
Most of the committee voted in favour of refusing planning permission, with only Conservative Cllr Richard Eddy voting against. The developer is likely to appeal to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, who could overturn the committee’s decision. This means that the battle for the Giant Goram could drag on for several more months yet.
Green Cllr Serena Ralston said: “Technically a micropub is not a pub, in the sense that this community needs a pub. It’s not going to provide those community facilities that are so badly needed. The evidence is not there, it just doesn’t stack up.”