Plans to convert a Grade II-listed former pub in Bristol city centre into flats have been given the go-ahead despite dozens of objections.
Councillors followed officers’ advice to approve the proposals for The Pineapple in St Georges Road after hearing the Edwardian facade and pub sign would be retained and a “horrendous” adjoining building with blocked-up windows would be demolished and rebuilt.
Development control committee members heard the property’s historic importance as “a remarkable survivor of the 17th century” was only discovered during a site visit after the plans by Wellington Pub Company were submitted to the city council.
It was granted listed-building status as a result and the company amended the development to satisfy the authority’s conservation team.
A report to planners said: “The closed venue appears as a negative feature of the conservation area and has so for a number of years, with only a very short period of around two months in 2017.
“We have concerns over the subdivision of the property into several flats, as we would with the subdivision of any listed building into multiple properties.
“However, the intended alterations are well managed to minimise harm to the important features of the listed building.
“There is genuine environmental public benefits in bringing the building back into viable use. Overall this is a good proposal.”
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Most of the 65 objections, including from Bristol Civic Society and Bristol Pubs Group, were about the loss of the drinking hole, which was formerly popular with the LBGT+ community.
But planning officer Amy Prendergast told the meeting on Wednesday, April 3: “The site has been vacant for some time.
“Ultimately this application would bring this building back into use.
“The newly constructed building would be more sympathetic to the conservation area and the features of the pub are more easily recognised.
“In heritage terms, it is considered an enhancement.
“Seeing as the pub has been vacant for three years with the exception of a few months, it is not considered the loss of the pub will detrimentally harm the social wellbeing of the local community, as it has not been serving the community for that time.”
She said there were lots of different types of pubs in the immediate area, while the report added: “It is considered unlikely that there are many other areas of the city whereby the number of public houses is so great.”
Councillor Stephen Clarke said The Pineapple was the first pub he ever had a drink in and was “wearing school uniform” at the time.
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He said: “There are quite a lot of drinking possibilities in the city centre, so I’m not too concerned about losing one for these flats.”
Cllr Mark Wright said: “I appreciate they’re going to make it look a lot nicer.
“That building to the side is pretty horrendous.
“Now it’s listed, it might be more difficult for it to be maintained as a pub.
“But I’m always disappointed when a landlord deliberately wrecks a business, which is what happened here. It’s a shame to lose a pub.”
Members approved the plans for six flats with conditions, including limiting the hours of construction work after neighbour Matthew Pallett, who suffers physical and mental disabilities because of an old head injury, told them stress and anxiety worsened his condition and was worried about noise levels.
