RESIDENTS in Coventry have stepped up their fight against plans to demolish a historic community pub.
The Grapes pub, Radford Road, Coventry, closed its doors for the final time this month, and is boarded up.
A planning application seeks to transform the historic 1930s building into flats, angering former patrons.
More than 200 residents have joined a campaign group called ‘Save the Grapes’ on Facebook and many turned out to demonstrate on Saturday (May 18).
Scores of residents raised signs and banners in protest outside the pub while many broke out in song and joined hands in a musical tribute.
The plans for 33 apartments were submitted by planners IDP Group in February.
Residents hope they can persuade Coventry City Council’s planning committee into rejecting the application and sanction reopening The Grapes with new owners.
A Change.org petition has begun online and it has received more than 150 signatures in less than a week.
On May 9, the group submitted a 35-page objection to the council composed by pub planning expert Dale Ingram of Planning4Pubs.
His objections include the loss of a ‘valued community facility’ and ‘heritage asset’, parking and highways issues, loss of wildlife, trees and biodiversity and the proposed apartments’ inappropriate design.
He has also written to Coventry North West MP Geoffrey Robinson to urge support.
The petition states: “In simple terms, we simply love everything about this pub.
“The beautiful 1930s building, its history within Radford’s families since that time and what it gives back to the local community as a place of meeting and socialising.
“The Grapes is where the Radford community go to enjoy a beer, to take part in sporting activities, to mark important life events such as engagements, birthdays and wakes.
“It is unthinkable to us that we might lose such an important place and we the undersigned call on you to act on the requests above without delay.”
The developer, in a document called ‘Justification for loss of community facility’, argues the area is already well catered for by other licensed establishments within walking distance – and the viability of The Grapes is ‘hard to justify’.
