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Mayor open-minded about Cattle Market Tavern
Cattle Market Tavern is the latest building to come under the council’s ownership as a result of a major acquisition which includes the former Royal Mail sorting office behind Temple Meads.
The city council now owns the 2.1 hectare site behind the station which includes the derelict pub and the Bristol Wood Recycling Project.
Mayor George Ferguson told Bristol24/7 the council was “open-minded” about the next step for the historic pub, while Bristol Wood Recycling Project said the council was working with them to find a new location.
is needed now More than ever
The purchase of the site comes as the Taxpayers’ Alliance revealed the city council’s full property portfolio in a bid to highlight its wealth of assets compared with falling budgets for public services.
The Alliance’s research shows the council owns two theatres, 25 restaurants, 9 hotels, two pubs, a nightclub and a cinema.
Cattle Market Tavern closed in about 1999. Ferguson said: “I’m open-minded about what will happen with the pub. I want to make sure there is proper consultation about it before any decision is made.”
Bristol Wood Recycling Project has been on the site since 2004 and employs seven staff, with 29 volunteers. But their lease was due to expire under the old owners this July.
Ferguson added: “We are in discussion with Bristol Wood Recycling Project and we will be bringing them along with our plans. We will be looking at how the project can have, hopefully, a better and more productive life in the city.”
A spokesperson at Bristol Wood Recycling Project said they were happy with how discussions were progressing.
The former sorting office will be demolished and replaced with a mixture of homes and offices which will connect Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone with the new Arena Island.
The development will also see a new entrance and exit to Temple Meads from the back.