Warning 'large areas of Bristol' face being left without a pub

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A stark warning has been issued over the future of Bristol's pubs - as the city now has less than half the 600 boozers it once had.

Campaigners are warning entire districts within the city face no longer having a pub nearby.

They are calling on Bristol City Council to enforce planning regulations to stop under-threat pubs from becoming housing developments.

The Windmill, in the Windmill Hill area of the city, is one of the pubs campaigners hope to save.

Residents have fought for two years to reopen The Windmill

The council is due to rule on its future - after its current owner asked for permission to sell it to a housing developer.

But its co-owner says the pub is an unsustainable business - with developers the only people willing to pay up how much the pub is worth.

But local residents are still campaigning to reopen the pub, claiming it cold be profitable.

Sarah Holway said: "My heart is partly in that pub and I'll continue to be hopeful that we can save it.

"It feels, ethically, that is should be right to keep the pub for its intended purpose."

Liz Lewington added: "So many people want this pub to stay. It's part of our community.  As a woman, I feel safe to go to this pub on my own."

Mike Cranney has co-owned The Windmill for 15 years. He insists it is unsustainable as a pub despite the time, money and effort he has invested in the business.

He says an offer to lease it to the campaign group was rejected.

The Windmill is said to date back to the 19th Century but the co-owner says it's no longer viable Credit: ITV News

"We tried untold amount of times to sell it as a pub," he told ITV News.

"We spoke to many people about it. We really tried with the community group and unfortunately it didn't happen. The developer is the only person prepared to pay the money that it was valued at."

A fundraising campaign attracted commitments of nearly £200,000, while businessman Nick James has made an offer of £350,000.

But both are short of the £500,000 asking price the owners have shaken on with a housing developer

Mr James aid planning legislation to protect pubs should be "much stricter" and better implemented.

"Pubs are really important assets to all communities and far too many have been lost needlessly," he added.

The Adam and Eve pub in Hotwells dates back 250 years. Now permission has been granted to turn it into flats. Credit: ITV News

Campaigners say planners must realise the impact on communities if they allow pubs to be replaced by housing.

Chris Faulkner Gibson of the Campaign for Real Ale said so many pubs have closed there are now "large areas of the city" without one nearby.

He said: "If the half a dozen or so planning applications currently outstanding are granted, there will be even more areas of Bristol that don't have the kind of social facility, the amenity that a local pub provides."