An amazing opportunity for our shutdown local pub to be reborn is about to be lost. The current owner wants it to become a flat instead.
Act now - We want the Iron Bridge Inn to be a public house, not a private house.
After serving the people of Exeter for over 170 years the Iron Bridge Inn is at risk of being lost forever.
Owners AJP Ltd closed the pub in 2021 and now want to convert it into a private residential house.
If successful, this will be a great loss to the community and city. The Iron Bridge Inn holds significant cultural and social value within our community, serving as more than just a place to grab a drink; it could a cornerstone of our neighbourhood, fostering friendships, community cohesion, and local identity.
A survey of the St David's community demonstrated widespread support for the pub remaining a pub. A community survey with 136 responses found 9 in 10 respondents wish for the pub to remain a pub.
The wider picture is one of us losing our local pubs and intergenerational social spaces. This is happening in Exeter, Devon and across the UK.
The council have said they would consider the pub being changed to residential use if it had been unsuccessfully marketed for at least six months.
The Iron Bridge Inn has not been sufficiently marketed - there has never been an estate agent board outside of the pub to show that it is for sale. Our local community only noticed it was for sale after one resident accidentally found it on Rightmove. It had been for sale for nearly a year and nobody we know had noticed.
The pub was first valued and marketed at £450,000. We are aware of at least one local business that has offered £415,000 for the pub - an offer that has been rejected, but experts in our community believe is a fair offer.
AJP Ltd once loved and championed the Iron Bridge Inn, understanding its value to the local community, Exeter and the sector. We call on AJP’s directors to remember that love and to do what they can to protect the pub and its future. Please accept the offer!
We call on the council to reject applications for the Iron Bridge Inn to be converted into a private dwelling to the detriment of current and future generations.
We estimate that the Iron Bridge Inn may have been visited over 2 million times in the last 170 years. We want to secure it for 170 more.
This Paper petition was received on 03/05/2024.
262 people signed this Paper petition.