![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/old_tavern_2.jpg\")
Image of the converted pub produced by Angus Meek Architects for the developer<\/p>\nA DEVELOPER has won permission to convert a former Fishponds pub into student flats from a planning inspector.<\/p>\n
The decision follows a two-year battle over the future of the Old Tavern, which dates back to the 18th century but has been shut since 2018.<\/p>\n
Bristol City Council turned down a bid by Christian Grant UK to convert the pub, on the corner of Blackberry Hill and Small Lane, into flats for 33 students last year.<\/p>\n
There were 47 objections to the plans, including from residents, campaign groups and Eastville ward city councillor Lorraine Francis, on grounds ranging from road safety to the numbers of student HMOs in the area.<\/p>\n
The council made the decision on the grounds that developer had not shown there was a \u201cdiverse range\u201d of alternative pubs locally to meets the needs of the community, as there are no others within 800 metres or a ten-minute walk.<\/p>\n
The developer appealed to the Planning Inspectorate, arguing that two pubs \u2013 the Fishponds Tap and the Golden Lion on Fishponds Road \u2013 were within approximately ten minutes of the Old Tavern, and council policy did not insist the 800m figure should be \u201cslavishly adhered to\u201d.<\/p>\n
Agents LPC said it was \u201cabundantly clear\u201d, from a council report on the application, that officers accepted the two pubs were within a reasonable walking distance and provided equivalent facilities to those at the Old Tavern before it shut.<\/p>\n
They argued that another six pubs \u2013 the Masons Arms, Snuffy Jack\u2019s Ale House, the Old Post Office, the Van Dyke Forum, the Railway Tavern and the Star \u2013 were all within a 12-minute walk.<\/p>\n
The agents said the Old Tavern was \u201ca highly sustainable location for student accommodation given the proximity to the UWE Glenside campus\u201d.<\/p>\n
Christian Grant was granted a separate consent in December under listed building rules to carry out work on the Grade-II listed building.<\/p>\n
Turning down plans caused \u2018unnecessary and wasted expense\u2019 <\/p>\n
Planning inspector Andrew Tucker said there was \u201cdetailed and robust\u201d evidence that the Fishponds Tap and Golden Lion were within a ten-minute walk and were on Fishponds Road, \u201ca vibrant local centre\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said it was \u201cunreasonable to ignore\u201d the further six pubs within a 12-minute walk, particularly as most of them \u201care near to the two already identified, and front the same busy road; indeed some are within sight of each other\u201d.<\/p>\n
He also ordered that the council pay the developer\u2019s legal costs in bringing the appeal, saying: \u201cThe applicant has incurred unnecessary and wasted expense by lodging an appeal against a refusal that should have reasonably been permitted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taxpayer faces bill for developer\u2019s \u00a320,000 costs <\/p>\n
Image of the converted pub produced by Angus Meek Architects for the developer<\/p>\n
Afterwards Christian Grant UK business manager Chris Burnett said: \u201cWe have eventually received consent, roughly two years on from having made our initial application to the council \u2013 no wonder the current government are looking to reform the planning system!<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of costs, we have submitted an application with invoices from our professional team for just over \u00a320,000, which regrettably is ultimately paid by the taxpayer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Burnett said Cllr Francis \u201cignored\u201d offers of a meeting to discuss residents\u2019 concerns and the planning inspector\u2019s comments \u201cclearly state this application should have been allowed\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cAs local Bristol developers, using local Bristol workforce, our intention is to deliver a well-considered scheme which will provide high quality student accommodation and will be managed professionally. And in the process, we will return an eyesore to its former glory.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company aims to finish the project within a year, so the new flats are ready in time for the 2026\/27 student intake.<\/p>\n
Ruling \u2018undermines local decision-making\u2019 \u2013 councillor<\/p>\n
Cllr Francis said: \u201cI have stood side by side with residents objecting to these plans. But I have felt totally powerless in trying to make the planning inspector align with the council\u2019s decision to refuse this application, a decision that was made in line with planning rules and significant public objection.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBy allowing this appeal, this Government continues to undermine local decision making and demonstrates that they value developer\u2019s income over the needs of communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe issue here is with the development itself. Some local people were against losing their pub but I could have supported family homes with off-street parking over further student accommodation.\u201d<\/p>\n
A council spokesperson said the authority was \u201cin the process of paying the agreed amount\u201d to the developer, and its costs were in officer time only.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A DEVELOPER has won permission to convert a former Fishponds pub into student flats from a planning inspector.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":306274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[112482,381,748,112483,393,12716,4884,112484,112485,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-306273","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-blackberry-hill","9":"tag-bristol","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-christian-grant","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-fishponds","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-lorraine-francis","16":"tag-old-tavern","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114947225294558234","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/306274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}