Developers have been refused planning permission by Bristol City Council to convert an 18th-century Fishponds pub into student flats. The plans were to build flats housing 33 students in the Old Tavern, a derelict pub on the corner of Blackberry Hill and Small Lane.
The pub has been vacant since 2018 and is in a poor state of repair. The flats would have been split between the pub, the adjacent brewery building, and a newly constructed building. The nearby campus of the University of the West of England is due to be converted into housing.
Councillors on the development control A committee voted to refuse permission to Christian Grant Properties for the plans on Wednesday, October 23. As well as concerns about road safety and numbers of students in the area, another problem was the lack of other pubs nearby.
Green Councillor Lorraine Francis, representing Eastville, said: “I strongly oppose the development. I cannot count the amount of houses of multiple occupation in the area. It’s on a really dangerous corner, there’s lots of flooding, and it’s not appropriate.”
No other pubs are within 800 metres of the Old Tavern, about a 10-minute walk away. This is a key test for the council, whose policy tries to prevent neighbourhoods being left without a pub due to their importance in bringing local communities together.
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Labour Cllr Zoë Peat added: “I think the development is stunning. When I lived in Fishponds as a student I would have gladly lived there. But I’m disappointed to see there’s no retention of the actual pub. I don’t see why it couldn’t have been the pub and student accommodation.
“The Glenside [campus] is closing, so maybe there won’t even be the need for student accommodation here. Traffic congestion is a big concern and the HMOs. I don’t think it’s necessarily best for the area.”
Most of the councillors on the committee voted in favour of refusing permission, while Conservative Cllr Richard Eddy abstained.