Six Nottinghamshire more pubs are at risk of being lost forever as a "frightening rate" of boozer closures has been declared by campaigners. More than 300 Nottinghamshire pubs have closed down over the last two decades according to Office for National Statistics data - and the toll did not include those that have been lost during the Covid pandemic.
Nottingham CAMRA have previously warned that the conversion of pubs to apartments is contributing to a loss of community spaces. Steve Westby, Nottingham CAMRA branch chairman, said: "What we are clearly doing is losing suburban pubs at a frightening rate and they don't seem to get replaced by anything else. This is particularly a blow to the community because your local pub was always a community pub and brought people together.
"We are gaining a small number of micro-pubs, which is excellent, but there aren't the same number as the pubs we are losing and where we are losing them." Six more former boozers could soon be lost through demolition or conversion.
Read more: Plans for new micro pub with 'rustic setting' in Nottinghamshire village
Colonel Burnaby - Radford
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 plans unveiled in July 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. 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.
Cricket Players Pub - Hyson Green
Plans were detailed in April to convert and extend the former Cricket Players Pub in Radford Road, Hyson Green into a five-storey building that would provide 50 studio flats and four retail units. The existing building, which is on the council’s Local List of heritage assets will be retained, with the removal of the single storey elements and the preservation of the feature brickwork planned.
Developers have said that there is seems no need to provide parking due to presence of the Hyson Green Market is a tram stop immediately outside. The site is currently used by a car washing business and hosts Hyson Green Market stalls on its car park.
The prospective developers of the site stated that the plans would "preserve the appearance and quality of the existing site". In a planning document, Swish Architecture on behalf of applicant A&Q Properties Nottingham Ltd 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 requirements of the site. The layout of the apartments have been designed to maximise desirable outlook and eliminate overlooking with the use of carefully positioned internal spaces
"The scheme will help preserve the appearance and quality of the existing site. The proposed scheme will meet the needs of the local area in supplying a diverse mix of new housing to an established mixed retail and residential location."
Duke of Newcastle - Basford
The Duke of Newcastle pub on Whitemoor Road, Basford would be converted to a ground floor retail unit and three self-contained flats, if new proposals revealed in June are approved. The creation of these three one-bedroom flats, according to a planning document, would require a single storey side extension and new dormers on the roof.
The current layout provides six car spaces, and the new designs would retain these. A plan was previously put forward in 2020 to demolish the building and replace it with a new build retail unit and six apartments. This was withdrawn by the applicant on June 7, 2022.
The Yew Tree - Hucknall
The Yew Tree, in Hucknall, closed in February and in August plans were outlined to turn it into nine flats. Proposals for the project were put forward by LGG Global Limited and the firm said the development should 'support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate'.
Locals previously branded the pub 'rough'. A councillor has expressed concerns about the development being created where some of Hucknall's busiest streets meet - Portland Road, Nottingham Road and Beardall Street.
The Three Lions Pub - Meden Vale
The Three Lions Pub on Netherfield Lane, Meden Vale, near Mansfield, may soon be transformed into 41 affordable homes after plans were revealed in June. The pub had struggled for years and was put up for auction in 2019. Fresh plans for the site would see 24 apartments, eight town houses and nine terrace/semi-detached homes built in place of the village pub.
The scheme would be wholly owned by Jigsaw Homes, and the tenure will be 100 percent affordable rent. There would be parking at the site, with one space per home as well as additional visitors spaces. Nottinghamshire County Council's Highways team has raised an objection to the project. They have said one off-street parking space per dwelling is "insufficient" and will lead to on-street parking along Netherfield Lane.
The Queen's Head - Kimberley
The Queens Head in Kimberley had its licence revoked due to repeated breaches of the Covid rules at the height of the pandemic and public disorder. It has now been put up for sale, with its future likely to be as flats.
Applications for a new licence allowing it to reopen were rejected. The pub, in Main Street, was closed down in September 2020. Despite warnings the owners failed to enforce NHS track and trace paperwork and ensure customers were social distancing.
A temporary banning order was served after failing to follow the strict Covid rules and, in November 2020, the licence to operate was revoked. Nottinghamshire Police told a licensing panel how it had dealt with previous crime and disorder incidents at the pub.
After failing to obtain a new licence, the owners have had a change of heart about running a pub and have put it up for sale by auction with a guide price of £650,000. It includes the freehold and the property's six bedrooms and a courtyard.
Jared Evason, branch manager at estate agents William H. Brown in Kimberley, said: "The pub isn't open as it hasn't got a licence. I think people are looking at development opportunities subject to planning, mainly as flats. It's quite an historic building in the area and there is plenty of development opportunity. It was quite a nice vibrant pub in the town."
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