Supermarkets snap up pubs

The trend for supermarkets snapping up pubs continues as Tesco plans to convert a Bristol venue while Aldi wants to demolish a pub in Cheshire.

Planning permission is not needed to convert the Enterprise Inns-owned Friendship Inn at Knowle, Bristol, into an Express store. This is because both pubs and supermarkets fall into the A4 use category and there will be no change to the fabric of the building.

A spokeswoman for Tesco said: "We are planning to convert the existing building into a Tesco Express convenience store. As part of our plans, we intend to improve the car park and access arrangements and have recently received planning approval for these changes."

The firm hopes to open the store by next spring.

Many locals opposed the move, saying the pub should be allowed to continue trading as it had community spirit. A petition raised 1,600 names against the plan, and a Facebook page called Save the Friendship Inn has some 360 members.

Meanwhile, discount supermarket chain Aldi is in the process of obtaining planning consent to demolish the Earl of Crewe pub at Crewe, which was built in 1897, in order to construct a new store on the site. Former mayor Howard Curran opposed the development, saying that knocking down the building would be a "travesty".