Derelict Saxilby pub to be knocked down for housing
A former Saxilby pub which first opened in the 1930s could be knocked down to make way for housing.
The Bridge Inn on Gainsborough Road, Saxilby, closed in 2014, and later reopened as the Saxilby Spice restaurant.
However, it has been permanently shut since before the pandemic and is now boarded up.
Plans submitted by Rabeto Homes Ltd propose demolishing the building and constructing nine homes on the site.
Residents say that it’s a shame the building couldn’t be saved, but the planning documents state that the building is in too poor condition.
John Bedford, who lives across the road from the former pub, said: “It’s better something happens than it’s stood empty.
“It was a good pub in its day, and was very popular around here – it’s hard to believe it had been open since the 1930s.
“The Indian restaurant couldn’t really make a go of it, and it’s been empty for three or four years now.”
Mr Wells, whose home also faces the derelict pub, said: “There’s nothing wrong with the frame of the building, it’s a shame that it couldn’t be turned into a home or two.
“The plans seem like too many houses for the space. I’m not sure how they’ll fit them all on there.”
He said that the area needed better public transport if more homes were being built.
“There’s no bus stop – you have to stand outside the pub, put your thumb out and hope the bus stops for you. They might not let you off there when you come home again though.”
Another local resident said: “It was a nice pub, it’s a shame the whole building is going. It has been nice and quiet since it’s closed though.”
The planning documents say that renovating the former pub would be too costly.
“The existing building is derelict and beyond economic repair, with significant structural degradation caused by prolonged water ingress and long-term unoccupancy,” plans say.
Following its most recent closure, squatters took over the building, with residents reporting that around 15 people were living there at one point during the pandemic.
Pictures submitted show the inside of the building is in a poor state, with floorboards ripped up, toilets smashed, and doors pulled off the hinges.
The housing plans have been submitted to West Lindsey District Council, and are open for public comments.