Sadness as pub is set to be demolished for £460m road scheme

» AFTER years of delays and frustrations, the go-ahead has been given for a major £460m scheme to solve the problem of the ‘Missing Link’ on the A417 in Gloucestershire.

The single-carriageway stretch between Birdlip and Cowley is a regular spot for congestion and breaks the dual-carriageway links from the M4 at Swindon and the M5 at Brockworth, near Cheltenham and Gloucester.

However, as has long been known, creating a new 3.4-mile dual carriageway means the popular and iconic Air Balloon pub on the roundabout that takes its name will have to be demolished as part of the project, which is due to start in 2023.

Readers of our sister website Gloucestershirelive have been expressing their views on the loss of the pub on our website and on our Facebook page.

While the majority expressed sadness at the pub’s fate, there was also some understanding about the need to solve the Missing Link problem.

Approval for the scheme was given last week in the name of Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper, MP for the Forest of Dean.

Robl wrote on our website: “In the name of so-called progress this beautiful building and its history will be lost forever. It won’t solve traffic problems. Very sad.”

Glosbloke agreed, commenting: “A real shame. Always a nice welcome home when returning from the barbarism of anywhere east of Fairford.”

Griselda also shared her views on our website, but was pragmatic: “Most of the current building is post-1960. It’s not as if they are proposing to demolish Gloucester Cathedral. And it is unavoidable as it will be under a fivelane dual carriageway and slip-roads.

On our Facebook page, Jenni-flower Riley said she would be sorry to see it go: “It’s such a shame such a beautiful building will be destroyed.”

Anthony Didcote has a very specific memory of the pub, near the junction of the A436, and said: “We used to go there with our parents. Our oldest sister had a button bit off her cardigan by a pony.”

Guy Julian Harrison: “It should leave the nice old pub alone, it is history.”

Susan Gradziel added: “That is such a shame, it’s absolutely beautiful, we are in danger of losing all our heritage.”

Alice Etkin-bell said: “So wrong, it’s such a nice-looking building.” And Dot Burton agreed: “This is so sad, a beautiful old building.”

Catherine Megan Russell asked: “Could it not be moved brick by brick?” Her view was echoed by Stephen Yorke, who said: “They should pay for the pub to be moved brick by brick to a new location to preserve the place.”

But Tim Wright said: “Bring it on! That bit of road is in desperate need of sorting out.”