Neighbours have been saddened by the potential for a local pub to become flats. The Colonel Burnaby pub on Hartley Road, Radford would be converted with the addition of a three-storey rear extension and third floor roof extension into 24 studio flats, if new plans are approved by Nottingham City Council.
The Colonel Burnaby has been closed since 2021, when it shutdown during the Covid pandemic. The proposal seeks to construct a rear four-storey extension with an under croft providing one visitor parking space, and a secure bin/cycles store area accessed off Denison Street.
Locals were saddened by the potential loss of the pub, and questioned who would live in the new flats. Robert Bachelor, 65, a musician from Hyson Green said: "It's always another takeaway or flats. I feel like it is taking away from the city's character.
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"As someone who has played pubs as a musician I feel disheartened when I see them closing. The pubs getting taken over were gathering places for local communities.
"Once they are gone they are gone. No one is going to build a new pub, they never come back and that's slightly depressing."
Charles Salisbury, 68, who is retired and lives in Radford, said: "I heard it was supposed to become a restaurant. I think pubs are all on the decline there are less and less of them about.
"You don't have people working in factories in the city anymore who go to pubs after work. And you have supermarkets which sell drinks cheaper, during all these cost increases.
"It seems to be that there are a lot of people homeless but every piece of land is being made into flats, usually for students. If it ends up being for students then I think older people like me are just worried about the bubble bursting."
An Radford resident, who did not want to be named, added: "I never went in there, but we are losing a lot of pubs. At least it is not being knocked down.
"With it being flats I think a lot of students might live there. We're a student city now."
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The Colonel Burnaby was formerly listed as an Asset of Community Value. The site was put on the register in November 2016 before an owner notification to dispose of the status was received on June 20, 2022.
The applicant has stated that due to its extended vacancy and continued decline from as early as 2019 the business was not, and is not viable.
They also argued The Colonel Burnaby in its final years was a "rundown public house with few clientele that became a source of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area". The pub had a poor reputation according to the potential developer, who said previous social distancing measures had a lasting effect on customers.
Steve Westby, Nottingham CAMRA chairman, said: "It's a sadly ever increasing trend, the micro pubs that are excellent places but it is not a comparable scale. It's very, very sad and you do wonder if as a society whether we will regret this trend in years to come - the pub is very much so essentially British.
"It's more of the same really. It's all apartments and student flats, it's not just losing the building but it is the community hub which we seem to be losing all over the suburbs over the city.
"It's the community spirit that you lose. I'm struggling to think of many pubs that are left in Radford apart from The Plough and The Pheasant Inn.
"Another aspect of this is that a lot of people are now drinking at home because it's cheaper. But of course it's not a controlled environment, the bar staff or landlord can't tell you to stop at home and that's a concern."
The property was marketed by Easy Living Nottingham from 2020 following the closure of the public house as a closed asset. Easy Living Nottingham marketed the public house at a reduced rate per annum but the demand for public houses was very low, and as a result it was deemed to take the current course of action.
In a planning document, Swish Architecture Ltd on behalf of the applicant said: "The design approach includes the careful consideration of the prominent nature of the plot and creates a scheme that is well suited to its context and carefully addresses the street scene. The layout of the apartments has been designed to maximise desirable outlook and eliminate overlooking with the use of carefully positioned internal spaces.
"The scheme will enhance the appearance and quality of the existing site and is a significant improvement on the existing property on site. The proposed scheme will meet the needs of the local area in supplying Apartments that will reduce the need for private family homes to be converted." The planning application is pending consideration by Nottingham City Council.
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