News / gloucester road
Wetherspoon keep pushing to open pub on Gloucester Road
This artist’s impression of a new pub on Gloucester Road features an Instagram-friendly roof terrace with twinkling fairy lights.
It’s often said (incorrectly) that Gloucester Road is the longest stretch of independent businesses in the UK and the area still prides itself on its independence.
So Wetherspoon’s plans to turn a derelict building into a new pub have unsurprisingly met with resistance from the local community.
Wetherspoon want to open a new pub in this former shop on Gloucester Road
The new pub is yet to get planning permission despite several previous attempts
The giant pub chain have been trying since 2014 to get permission to open a new pub in this location but have encountered numerous set-backs, from The Bishopston Society to Bristol City Council licensing officers.
Following a major consultation in April 2016, Wetherspoon’s third bid to open on the site was withdrawn in early 2017 after concerns over the size of the development, noise impact, possible anti-social behavior and the amount of licensed premises already in the area.
The proposed pub at numbers 349-353 – situated between the Anchor and the Royal Oak – was most recently an extension of the next door reclamation yard.
A Bollocks to Brexit sticker has already appeared on the new hoarding around the proposed pub. Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin is a vocal supporter of a hard Brexit.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon confirmed to Bristol24/7 that the company is putting in a new application for the site.
He said: “Wetherspoon is keen to open a pub on the site and believes it will be good for the area.”
A new hoarding around the proposed new Gloucester Road pub informs passers-by that £2.5m will be invested, creating between 50 and 60 jobs.
News of Wetherspoon’s latest plans for Gloucester Road comes less than a fortnight after it was revealed that St George’s Hall on Church Road in Redfield is among 16 pubs in the UK that the Watford-based chain is putting up for sale.
Read more: Bollocks to Brexit bus arrives in Bristol
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