Punch bid to bulldoze pub rejected

A licensee is celebrating after a pubco's bid to demolish his pub and turn it into eight homes was rejected.

Paul St John Campbell said he only found out weeks before his case was due to be heard by planning officers that Punch Taverns wanted to knock down his pub, the Queen Edith in Cambridge.

But in a resounding victory for the licensee councillors on the planning committee said the pub was too valuable for the community to lose.

Paul said: "I have been here since March 2004 and it has not always been easy but I was surprised that I was kept in the dark about this.

"I am obviously delighted that we are staying open. We are the last pub in this area and a valued part of the community."

But Punch Taverns said the pub, which has been placed in its Turnaround division for struggling outlets, was not currently viable and its future was being reviewed.

A spokeswoman said: "We are not in the business of closing pubs and fully appreciate the importance of pubs to their local communities. The Queen Edith is, however, underused and therefore not currently viable as a pub business.

"We do appreciate the views of local people who do not wish to see the pub close but must consider the longer term viability of this business. If footfall increases at the Queen Edith then we'd be delighted to see it continue to operate as a pub."