Questions over protection for historic pub
Hundreds of people have signed a petition to save the pub
Questions have been asked whether a petition to save a Cheltenham town centre pub will be taken into account when deciding plans for the site.
New proposals to turn The Bell Inn, in Bath Road, into housing have been submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council.
The latest scheme intends to convert 70 Bath Road into three flats, one studio flat, a one-bed flat and a two-bed maisonette with a courtyard garden.
Commercial space would be kept on the ground floor – this could be a public house or a community asset.
This has been met with strong opposition by the pub’s landlord Chris Evans, 79, who fears it will make the inn unviable.
Rich Newman, who organised a campaign to save the pub from previous attempts of redevelopment, asked about The Bell Inn at the Municipal Offices on October 13.
Hundreds of people had signed a petition to keep the pub open.
“The Bell Inn has been where it is since 1809, considering the previous planning proposal regarding the Bell Inn resulted in an asset community value which we’re very thankful for,” he said.
“Does the council agree with me that the petition and public support garnered last time also applies to this planning proposal, as the campaign Save the Bell sees this as an ongoing issue as opposed to a new issue?”
Council chiefs said they could not directly comment on The Bell Inn as it was subject to a live planning application.
Planning and building control cabinet member Mike Collins (LD, Benhall, the Reddings and Fiddler’s Green) said more generally that historic buildings are afforded protection under listed building status in the spa town.
“The planning process will take that into consideration if there were any planning applications, but we can’t talk about specific applications because that is a form of predetermination or bias, so we have to be very careful in that,” he said.