News / lockleaze
Derelict pub remains eyesore two and a half years after council agreed to buy it
So long has passed since Bristol’s cabinet agreed to buy a derelict pub that another cabinet decision will need to be made in order to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire the building.
Cabinet members gave approval for a compulsory purchase order (CPO) of the Gainsborough pub in Lockleaze and nearby 16 Branwhite Close in September 2019.
But due to the two years and seven months since the approval, cabinet papers for a meeting on May 10 show that “legal advice is that an updated cabinet approval should be obtained”.
is needed now More than ever
The CPO is needed in order to progress with the Branwhite Close housing development, a site which banks up Branwhite Close from Bonnington Walk.
The development could be made up of 47 new homes featuring a mix of one-, two-, three- and four-bed houses as well as one- and two-bed flats.
The Branwhite development hopes to “breath new life” into Gainsborough Square – image: Bristol City Council
The Gainsborough, whose roof is missing following a fire in July 2019, was once a lively pub with a skittle alley and regular entertainment.
Cabinet papers say that the city council have been trying to acquire the pub via negotiations for two years and has offered to purchase it from its owner “on a number of occasions”.
City council officers have met the owner “and will continue to offer constructive dialogue in an effort to purchase the property on the open market via negotiation”, with a CPO usually only used as a last resort.
The Gainsborough’s roof has been missing since a fire in July 2019- photo: Martin Booth
Property consultants JLL are leading the CPO negotiations on behalf of the council, with the Gainsborough’s owner still unwilling to consider a sale and also rejecting other offers to buy the building.
The council’s costs to purchase the pub will be met from the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund.
The report written by council officers says that they “consider that a CPO is justified to facilitate a residential led development which both promotes and improves the economic and social wellbeing of the area”.
All photos: Martin Booth
Read more: 800 new Lockleaze homes to address ‘critical need’
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
