ACV granted in battle to save boozer from supermarket conversion

Greene King sold the Lord Nelson, Cleeve, to Tout’s Budgens, which operates supermarkets in Langford and Nailsea, in November. It closed shortly after but campaigners rallied and submitted a petition with more than 400 signatures to North Somerset Council. 

Campaigner Ian Fergusson, who started the petition, said: “After years of neglect by Greene King – with no real attempt to either improve the pub or ensure survival as a going concern – our Lord Nelson pub has been sold and closed."

Wiped out

He added: “Some 200 years of history and heritage risks being wiped out by developers who have no interest in maintaining the social fabric of Cleeve and the character of our village risks being irrevocably changed.”

The ACV means Tout’s Budgens will have to seek planning permission from North Somerset Council to convert the Lord Nelson.

Fergusson told local newspaper The Weston Mercury​ that, in light of the listing, he hoped the supermarket operator would work co-operatively with villagers to secure the Lord Nelson's future.

Consultation​

Tout’s Budgens managing director Jon Tout previously said he would initiate a public consultation before developing the pub.

“We are a small community-focused family business and we have always been keen to explore new opportunities which best serve the communities we are in,” he told The Morning Advertiser​'s (MA​) sister title The Grocer.​

“We have and always will be extremely dedicated to providing the best possible engagement and support of the local communities we work in and we are extremely excited about the opportunity to work with the people of Cleeve.”

MA ​has approached Tout’s Budgens for comment before going to press.