A councillor in one of South Bristol’s most deprived communities has called on her colleagues in the rest of Bristol not to allow the closure of one of only two pubs in the area.
In a heartfelt appeal, Cllr Kerry Bailes has called on councillors to refuse permission for a plan to turn the Fulford House pub into a huge HMO building that could house as many as 34 people.
She said Hartcliffe - which only has one other pub - had ‘already lost so much’ in terms of community facilities, and called on councillors who are due to meet today to decide on the application to ‘prevent a relapse of degeneration and stigma’ in the area.
READ MORE: Fury at plan to turn famous pub into home for 34 people
Cllr Bailes said there was a huge groundswell of opposition to the plans to close the Fulford House pub, and create a HMO - a house in multiple occupation - inside.
The plan, which goes before councillors at a planning committee at City Hall today (Wednesday, February 2), would see two different 11-bed HMOs in the converted building. Many of the rooms would be double rooms, meaning as many as 34 people would be allowed to legally live at the pub.
Planning officers have recommended councillors approve the application, despite more than 100 objections from local residents.
One of the strongest objections has come from Cllr Bailes, a lifelong Hartcliffe resident, who said the closure and loss of the pub would hit the community hard.
“Over the years, the BS13 area alone has lost so many pubs to housing developments: these developments include sites where The Red Heart, The Gatcombe, The Harriers, The Mendip Gate, The Woods, The Rising Sun and The Golden Cockerel once stood.
“This is reflective of other areas of Bristol where pubs have been lost to housing developments, but where pub conversions have been used to gentrify the area, in Hartcliffe we do not have the historic value other pubs pertain to gentrify our area,” she added.
“So many pubs have been lost in the community that it now means residents will have to walk an unacceptable distance to get to their nearest pub; the BS13 area used to consist of three separate wards, under the old boundaries, this would mean that Hartcliffe would have one remaining pub, Withywood would be left with none,” she said.
The applicants listed other pubs within walking distance - and their list included the St Bernadette’s Rugby Club at just 0.2 miles from where the Fulford House is.
However, the rugby club is still more than a mile and a half away on the other side of Hengrove Park. There is a plan to move it to the site of the Whitehouse Centre close to the Fulford House, but that has not happened yet, and could take a number of years to go through.
In their report, council officers told councillors that they didn’t accept the developers’ proposition that there were other pubs that provide an alternative.
But the planning officers said they did accept the developers’ proposition that the pub was no longer economically viable. The report said it had been up for sale since the summer of 2020, and no one had come forward to take it on during 2021.
Cllr Bailes said this should be discounted too, quoting a local resident Neil McKay, who said: “The period in question was during the height of the pandemic, with multiple lockdowns. This was clearly an exceptional year, and does not reflect normal trading conditions. The evidential value of the marketing undertaken during this period is therefore questionable.
“Previous trading records are also provided, which clearly support the claim that the business was not financially viable. However, this does not preclude the possibility that business could be run to a profit by a different owner, with a revised business model and fresh investment. Nor does any of the financial information provided bear on the question of the viability of the premises for a non profit community use,” he added.
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“Much other detail in the report is highly subjective, or not relevant. For example, the number of pubs in the area is described as 'vast'. I would be surprised to find an unbiased observer agreeing with this claim, however, the term has no defined meaning, so cannot be given any weight,” he added.
Cllr Bailes called on the councillors on the committee to refuse the plan.
“We have already lost too many pubs in the area; we cannot lose any more,” she said.
“None of the local drinking establishments serve hot, healthy meals; we need to keep the community going long after the pandemic has ended. Taking away this much-loved pub not only demoralises the community spirit but sets a precedent that we have no choice in the future of our community.
“We must ensure that the community participates in this process. I want to see the pub improved, kept as an entertainment establishment and pub.
“If refurbished to a high standard, with the proper management, the community could benefit from a pub for all residents, a place where children could have a meal with their parents and wider family—an entertainment venue where people from around the city could enjoy an evening out.
“We, as a community, have lost more than we have gained. With 15,000 people on the council housing waiting list, housing is needed everywhere in Bristol; building additional council housing would be more acceptable than converting the pub into an HMO,” she added.
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