Plans have been submitted to convert The Brit, in Wells, and build new homes

Homes bid for Somerset pub – as community campaigns to save it

Paul JonesOctober 31, 20250 Comment0

A PLANNING application has been submitted to convert a former Somerset pub into a house – as the community battles to raise the funds to buy and re-open it.

The Wellington Pub Company Ltd – owners of The Britannia Inn, in Bath Road, Wells – has submitted plans to convert the property into a detached four-bedroom house, and build four further houses on the existing gardens, with access from what was the pub car park.

It comes after a long-running fundraising effort by the East Wells Community Benefit Society (EWCBS), formed in 2024, to raise money to buy the premises and re-open it as a community pub.

The Brit was listed as an ‘asset of community value’ by Wells City Council in January 2024 and the society has recently triggered a further six-month moratorium, preventing its sale.

Submission of the planning application has now brought new impetus to the Save The Britannia effort, the group said.

“The Britannia is the only public house serving East Wells and the neighbouring villages, which have a total population of over 6,000, and the vision of the Community Benefit Society is to recreate a welcoming pub and hub at the heart of the local community, owned by and run for the benefit of residents,” a spokesperson added.

An initial Share Offer, enabling anyone over 18 to acquire a stake in the project, raised nearly a quarter of the £350,000 needed to buy and renovate the site.

A second share offer was recently launched, offering shareholdings from £50 to encourage as many people as possible to invest.

“All funds received will be ring-fenced and refunded in full should the purchase not go ahead,” the society added.

A series of fundraising events have been held, with a new song, written and recorded by committee member Mark O’Callaghan – Remember the Britannia Inn – is soon to be released.

How the plans show some of the proposed new homes on the site. Picture: Savills/Somerset Council

“Anyone with relevant skills or ideas would also be welcome to join in the work of the society,” the spokesperson said.

As part of the planning application, submitted by Savills on behalf of the pub chain, a viability study claims the pub is “not a viable business in both the short term and long term following refurbishment”.

It added it was “evident that under a traditional pub format, the business is unviable and unable to compete with surrounding competition and the larger pub operators”.

However, the EWCBS said its own reports show the pub could “thrive once again under community ownership”.

For more details on the campaign to Save The Brit, visit www.savethebritanniainnwells.org, and to view the full planning application – and comment – visit somerset.gov.uk and search reference 2025/1762/FUL.