BRIDGWATER town councillors say they will fight fresh plans to demolish the remains of the Hope Inn pub in Taunton Road. 

The iconic building is still standing, despite having its roof removed last year. But now site owners, Land Promotions Ltd, have submitted a fresh application to Sedgemoor District Council to flatten the pub. 

In its place they are proposing to build a three-storey apartment complex housing 15 two-bedroom flats and seven one-bedroom flats. 

The historic pub was granted a temporary stay of execution in October 2014 after Bridgwater Town Council and the Civic Society successfully registered as an Asset of Community Value. 

Then in November, Cllr Brian Smedley, chair of the town council’s Community Assets Panel, wrote to Mr Nguyen, of Land Promotions Ltd, asking him to meet town representatives to discuss what was needed before knocking down more buildings in Bridgwater. 

Cllr Smedley said: “All the developers wanted - it seems - all along, was to demolish another iconic historic building and put up yet more flats.” 

Regarding the Community Assets Register, Cllr Smedley added: “That is meaningless unless someone intervenes with a serious bid, a plan and crucially with the money behind it. 

“The town council bought a breathing space for this to happen but no one was able to. 

“The town needs to decide now how to respond to this latest project – either to keep objecting unless and until the developer comes up with a planning application that is wanted and that is suitable to the area or to accept that Mr Nguyen can build more houses on what is, of course, a brownfield site.” 

Fellow Westover ward councillor Kathy Pearce said: “We will certainly be objecting to this, principally on the grounds of over-development and impact of traffic generation on an already-busy route, which is only going to get worse with the Hinkley C development.” 

The Mercury was unable to obtain a comment from Land Promotions Ltd before going to press.