Campaigners 'gutted' by pub demolition decision

The Lincoln Imp pub and music venue in Scunthorpe has been closed since August 2022

Campaigners hoping to buy Scunthorpe's Lincoln Imp pub have been left "devastated" after a decision to stop it from being demolished was overturned.

The 300-capacity music venue on Gloucester Avenue was closed in August 2022 to make way for affordable housing.

North Lincolnshire Council turned the proposal down twice in 2023 but an appeal has now overturned that decision.

A spokesperson for Admiral Taverns, which owns the site, said: "Despite extensive efforts we struggled to find a solution, we have not received any offers for the freehold of the property."

In January, campaigners told the BBC they were "six to eight months" away from placing a formal bid to buy the venue.

Lorraine Briggs, who managed the pub for eight years before its closure, said: "I can't believe it, we're gutted and I'm absolutely devastated.

"We wanted it to be open for the community and now they've lost out on somewhere to go.

"It will be an awful day in Scunthorpe when it comes down. The Lincoln Imp was a place for everybody. There was nowhere like it."

Once the pub has been demolished, 20 flats will built on the site in Gloucester Avenue

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the venue, which was made an asset of community value, will now be replaced by 20 one-bed apartments with car parking and bicycle spaces.

In the appeal decision, planning inspector Paul Cooper said the situation was "emotive" because of the potential for its re-opening and use as a music venue.

Mr Cooper said that, while he had empathy for those looking to save the pub, no "realistic" offer had emerged.

He concluded the proposed housing should be viewed positively as it would develop "a dilapidating site in a residential area".

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