Campaign to reopen Bristol pubs

A campaign has begun to re-open seven well-known Bristol pubs that are currently boarded up.

With the motto 'love a local pub', the Bristol and District branch of Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have spent the past week celebrating the Great British pub and writing to local breweries, pub chains and operators in the hope they will reopen the seven empty pubs, turning them back into the social havens they once were.

Peter Bridle, Chairman of the Bristol and District CAMRA Pubs Campaigning Group, said:"Currently there are quite a few boarded up pubs within our patch. They often make a very sorry sight.

"We believe that, with the right customer offering, there could potentially be tremendous opportunities for someone to acquire one or more of these pubs and turn them into thriving community pubs once again. Even better if they could be genuine free houses."

The pubs in question are: the Phoenix on Wellington Road, currently owned by Bristol City Council, the Plume of Feathers on Hotwell Road, a freehold with a reduced price, the Bell in Redcliffe, which was recently sold privately, the Rummer on the High Street in the city centre, a historic building which has been partially re-opened, the King Charles on King Square and Bell in Stapleton, which are both for sale, and the Printer's Devil on Broad Plain, to let.

Mr Bridle says many pubs previously considered unviable in the past by large operators have turned into very successful pubs. Both the current South West Regional Pub of the Year and the national winner are pubs that had been discarded by national brewers.

Encouragingly, three pubs recently opened in Bristol; the Quinton House, the Three Tuns and the Golden Guinea. Mr Bridle said: "I sincerely hope this is the beginning of the end. We will get out of the recession, and see a reversal of trends of pub closure."

The past few years has seen pub culture under real threat thanks to rising taxes, the smoking ban and competition from supermarkets. According to the most recent Beer and Pub Association figures, 39 pubs are closed every week.

While a large number of pubs have adapted to changing times, turning into 'Gastro pubs', improving food, and hosting skittles and salsa lessons, a BBPA report reveals beer sales in Britain's pubs were at their lowest level since the 1930s Great Depression, with alcohol sales in pubs falling by about six per cent over the past year.

Mr Bridle believes communities should be supporting their local pubs and MPs should take a more prominent role in helping preserve their place. He said;

"The toxic combination of high beer duty, unfair competition from supermarkets, the lack of planning protection for pubs and the smoking ban and in certain cases the beer tie have all impacted on the vulnerability of some pubs. It's about time this Government gave community pubs a fair crack of the whip and we will be writing to our MPs demanding that urgent action is taken to protect these community assets."

He adds; "With so much publicity surrounding binge drinking, well-run community pubs should be seen as part of the solution, not the problem. Pubs are about community and cohesion."

CAMRA visit The Mason's Arms in Stapleton today (Saturday) and The Eldon House on Jacobs Wells Road tomorrow (Sunday), both from 12.30am.