'Ridiculous' plans to bulldoze historic Bristol pub for flats refused after huge local opposition

Developers wanted to demolish The Bull Inn in Crews Hole and build a three-storey block with nine apartments.

But government planning inspectors have rejected the proposals after ruling that the loss of the pub had not been justified and that the scheme would harm the Avon Valley Conservation Area.

It comes after BristolWorld reported how the Council for British Archaeology had been among those objecting to the plans to the site.

Bristol City Council tried unsuccessfully to close it down in 2021 when its licensing sub-committee revoked the premises licence following breaches of covid rules and complaints from neighbours about fights, disturbances and noise.

The authority changed its mind the following March to avoid a costly appeal at the magistrates court, but the pub, classed as a non-designated heritage asset, shut in 2023 after racking up debts.

The decision to refuse planning permission for the flats on Tuesday, May 6, was made by the Planning Insectorate after the developers, Wellington Pub Company, bypassed the council, whose department is in special measures, and applied directly to the government body.

In its submission, the local authority opposed the redevelopment, arguing the nearest alternative drinking holes were too far away and up a steep hill, and that claims The Bull Inn in Crews Hole Road was no longer viable as a business had not been proven.

Forty-six residents and St George Community Association Development Group also objected.

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The inspectorate agreed and refused consent, saying the public benefits of the plans did not outweigh the loss of the architecturally important building, which has been there 125 years, while the site has been a pub since 1803.

Its report said that although a viability assessment on behalf of the applicants concluded that the pub would be too uneconomic to reopen, this was not supported by evidence and was based on “generalised assertions” rather than facts and figures in the accounts.

The inspector wrote that it was also not clear that the owners had made sufficient efforts to sell the property to another pub operator or diversify its services to the public.

Their report said: “The design of the proposed building would preserve the character and appearance of the area.”

It said the benefits included the nine new homes and bringing the site back into use.

But the inspector said: “The proposal would entail the demolition of the existing building and the comprehensive loss of the non-designated heritage asset (NDHA).

“This would constitute harm to the NDHA and its contribution to the conservation area would be permanently lost and the character and appearance of the conservation area would be heavily diluted as a result.”

The report said the pub was a reminder of the area’s industrial heritage, including coal-mining, quarrying and lead-mining in the 18th and 19th centuries.

It said: “The public house would have been a central focus and important attribute, serving a working-class industrial community by providing respite and recreation.

“I do not consider the site has been shown to be one which can be described as suitable.

“The benefits of the proposal would not outweigh the harm arising from the scale of the loss, which would be comprehensive and permanent.

“The proposal would result in the loss of a public house and community facility.

“The proposal would cause harm to the character and appearance of the Avon Valley Conservation Area and would result in the comprehensive loss of a non-designated heritage asset, which are not sufficiently outweighed by public benefits or other considerations.”