Campaign aims to save at-risk community pubs
BEER enthusiasts are stepping up their support for communities trying to save their local pubs.
Bristol and District Camra which promotes traditional British pubs, is writing to Bristol City councillors and planning authorities, requesting to be represented at planning hearings.
The branch is lobbying Bristol City councillors to ask them to support these efforts and raise awareness of the council’s specific policies to save pubs.
Following a recent meeting with groups representing several pubs under threat in Bristol, the local CAMRA branch, led by its Pubs Group committee, has reiterated its support in attempts to save much loved community hostelries.
There were once more than 600 pubs in Bristol, now there is less than half that number and more than 10 a year are under threat or closing.
Some have been in operation for hundreds of years and are important local landmarks regarded by many as vital community assets. Personalised letters have been sent to all Bristol city councillors calling for support for the city’s pubs.
Bristol Camra Pubs Group chair Nigel Morris said: “We have been supporting these campaigns over recent months and were heartened to see that, in some cases, despite a few setbacks, local community groups are still determined to save their neighbourhood pubs.
“The pubs in question have been closed for a while but are still much missed by the community. It is often said that pubs would not close if they were viable.
“However, there are numerous examples of pubs around the country that were deemed unviable by the owners only to turn into thriving pubs under new ownership.
“Equally, owners sometimes want to cash in on the value of the property which can be worth a lot more for residential or other purposes and this is particularly the case in Bristol with its high property values.”
Examples of under-threat Bristol pubs include The Rhubarb Tavern in Barton Hill, The Adam & Eve in Hotwells, The Merchants Arms in Stapleton, The Windmill in Windmill Hill and The Giant Goram in Lawrence Weston, all of which have been closed for some time as they await their fate, many of them subject to planning applications from developers wanting to turn them into flats.
Mr Morris added: “Pubs have been at the heart of our communities for many years and the people trying to save these pubs clearly believe that they can once again be turned into thriving locals.
“In some cases, community groups are looking at buying these pubs, demonstrating the belief that they can be financially viable and successful.
“We have lost quite a few pubs in Bristol in recent years and some areas now have no or hardly any pubs left. When communities are prepared to organise themselves to try and save their local pubs, we will support them and offer advice.”