Wells pub campaign hit as homes plan wins appeal

By Laura Linham 13th Jul 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 3 minutes ago

A Wells community group campaigning to save the former Britannia Inn says it is shocked after plans to turn the site into housing were allowed on appeal. The decision means Wellington Pub Company can press ahead with proposals for five homes at the former pub in Bath Road.

The East Wells Community Benefit Society received notification from the Planning Inspectorate on Friday, 10 July, that the appeal had been allowed. The group has been campaigning to buy the former pub and reopen it as a community-run venue.

Somerset Council had refused the scheme in December last year, with members raising concerns including whether it was premature to conclude the pub was no longer viable. Parking was also among the issues raised when the application was rejected.

In a statement, the East Wells Community Benefit Society said it was "shocked by this decision, particularly as the inspector's report gave significant weight to the importance of the pub as a community asset while at the same time allowing the appeal".

The group said the inspector's report stated that "the operation of the public house as part of a community not-for-profit or low-profit enterprise would have a realistic prospect of being viable". It also said the evidence showed "a strong local demand for the retention of the public house" and that fundraising efforts by the society to buy the property were ongoing.

The society said the decision seemed strange when set against the weight attached to the pub as a community asset. It said the report had also recognised the significance of its loss, the lack of equivalent pubs within walking distance, and the likelihood that a not-for-profit pub would be viable.

The group said: "The site's ability to provide just five extra houses seems to have outweighed all of these points. By that reckoning, every single community asset would be expendable when weighed against housing targets."

The appeal decision recognised the community value of the pub and the "strong local demand" for it to be retained and reopened. However, the inspector concluded that the benefits of reusing the site and delivering five homes should carry significant weight.

The decision said: "Significant weight is attributed to the benefits that would result from the re-use of the site and the delivery of an additional five sustainably located houses that would help to reduce the shortfall in housing delivery within the area."

It concluded: "The proposed development would conflict with the development plan, but material considerations indicate that a decision should be made other than in accordance with it. Therefore, this appeal should be allowed."

The outcome is a setback for the East Wells Community Benefit Society, which had previously raised about £100,000 in its campaign to oppose the planning application and buy the site. The group had hoped to bring the Britannia Inn back into use as a community pub.

The society said that, despite being "very saddened by this outcome", its management committee would meet in the next few days. It said it would also contact shareholders to outline its next steps.

The planning permission is valid for three years.