A boarded-up public house on the A38 Gloucester Road is back on the market after a housing association abandoned tentative plans to build 27 affordable apartments on the site.
Bromford conducted a 3-week public consultation on its proposals for the Travellers Rest site back in April as a precursor to submitting a formal planning application to South Gloucestershire Council.
The pub closed after the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and has been boarded up for the past two years after owners Greene King concluded there is no demand for it to reopen.
The housing association’s proposals consisted of a mix of 1- and 2-bedroom apartments in a single block made up of 2- and 3-storey components. The plans included 34 parking spaces, landscaping and the planting of new trees to increase privacy.
It was proposed to stop up the accesses off and onto the A38 and create a new vehicular access point from The Common.
Enquiries by the Journal have revealed that the hospitality chain had been trying to dispose of the pub since at least August 2018, when the freehold of the building and associated 1-acre plot was advertised for £625,000 + VAT.
With no sign of a formal planning application being submitted by Bromford, sales particulars for the Travellers Rest site suddenly reappeared in August this year, with agents James A Baker now offering it for “leasehold/freehold development” with “offers invited”.
In response to an enquiry from the Journal, a Bromford spokesperson said:
“We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to look at our initial plans for our new homes at the Travellers Rest site and gave their views as part of the consultation earlier in the year.”
Unfortunately, after careful consideration and further examination of the site, we have decided not to progress this development.”
“We remain committed to providing new affordable homes in South Gloucestershire and are currently working with partners at several sites in the area, including with YTL at Brabazon.”
The Bristol branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has voiced its concern over the potential permanent loss of Travellers Rest as a public house and is encouraging members of the local community to join together and register it as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ (see their letter below).
More information: Sales particulars for the Travellers Rest site (James A Baker)
Letter from CAMRA
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Bristol Pubs Group have been aware of the long term closure of the Travellers Rest public house in Patchway and were expecting it to reopen again after the end of the Covid pandemic but it now appears that the owner, Greene King, are planning to sell the pub, which is being marketed as a “leasehold/freehold development site”.
Interestingly Bromford (Housing Association) put out a consultation (which has now closed) earlier this year about their possible plans for the site prior to submitting any planning applications for change of use, which would be to build 27 apartments. At the time of writing no planning application has been published.
We are extremely concerned about the overall level of pub closures which have now reached alarming high levels and the potential loss of this popular local pub, which was the last remaining pub in the whole of Patchway, would affect future long term community cohesion and well-being in the area by reducing the opportunity for people to socialise.
Therefore, we urge interested former pub regulars and the local community to contact us for more information (see e-mail address below) on ways that we can help them save the Travellers Rest, such as registering it as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ (ACV). This gives some protection to the pub and gives the community the opportunity to bid for the property.
bristolpubsgroup@camrabristol.org.uk
We believe that the Travellers Rest could have a viable long term future and look forward to working with the local community to save it.
Nigel Morris
Chairman, The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Bristol Pubs Group
Under offer
UPDATE added 20th August 2023.
A report in the Bristol Post today (20th August 2023) notes that The Travellers Rest is now shown as being ‘under offer’ on the Savills property agents website.
Related link: Sales particulars for the Travellers Rest site (Savills)
