Owner of Barton Hill’s last remaining pub responds to criticism

The owner of the Rhubarb Tavern has denied reneging on a deal with people seeking to reopen the pub as a community space and music venue.

Tara Clerkin and Sunny Paradisos recently announced their plans to transform the last remaining pub in Barton Hill had hit a stumbling block after Natan Limited said its commitment to paying for essential repairs was dependent on a successful planning application.

The couple, who have garnered widespread support for their vision to reopen the Rhubarb as a pub, community hub and music & arts venue, also expressed concerns about the owner’s plans to redevelop the building’s upper floors, saying it would render their proposals “unviable”.

Responding on Tuesday, Mona Mogharebi, the director of Natan Limited, said discussions with Clerkin and Paradisos had been conducted in “good faith” but that no definitive terms were firmly agreed upon.

Mogharebi, who has owned the pub on Queen Ann Road since November 2014, told Bristol24/7 that necessary repairs were expected to amount to nearly £500,000 – due to the extensive scope of the work required and rising costs of building materials.

Furthermore, hopes some of this cost could be covered by the building’s insurer have been dashed because it is unoccupied.

The owner of the Rhubarb Tavern has denied reneging on a deal with people seeking to reopen the pub as a community space and music venue – photo: Ellie Pipe

Mogharebi said that paying for essential work and leasing the pub to Clerkin and Paradisos without first securing planning consent to build six flats in the pub’s garden would be “tantamount to commercial suicide”.

The Rhubarb Tavern closed its doors in 2020 after the leaseholders struggled to make the pub profitable and assigned the lease.

Natan has since applied for permission to build eight flats in total on the site – six to the rear of the property and two in the building’s upper floors, with a decision expected in the new year. This follows an initial application submitted in 2021 to redevelop the site into 14 flats.

Mogharebi said: “In August 2020, I instructed the local agent Burston Cook to market the pub, which was in a decent functioning condition, for rent with a rent reduction and a rent-free period of initially six months – and more recently up to ten months.

“There has been no viable bid to run it as a pub, other than a couple of interests, with the last interest being that by Tara and Sonny.”

The plans put forward by Clerkin and Paradisos to reopen the Rhubarb “as a community space for everyone” have received “overwhelming support”, raising more than £45,000 from 881 donors to make the plans a reality.

In an update on their Crowdfunder page, the couple said: “Without the essential repair works to the roof, plumbing and electrics being carried out there’s unfortunately no way we’ll be able to refurbish the pub and go ahead with this project.

“So we’re left in a position where it’s unclear the best way to proceed, we’re exploring various avenues and trying our best to come up with a solution, but nothing concrete has arisen yet.”

Mogharebi told Bristol24/7 the situation is complicated by the fact the pub has been a target for persistent vandalism, which has led to the need for ever costly repairs.

Natan’s director said: “Until October 2023, our discussions were conducted in good faith, albeit with uncertainty on their part due to their reliance on crowdfunding.

“In late October, I received a surprising quote from my contractor for the necessary repairs, amounting to nearly £500,000.

“I promptly conveyed the disheartening news to Tara, stating that without consent for rear development, I could not proceed with the repairs and leasing the property to them, as previously discussed, as it would be tantamount to commercial suicide.”

Main photo: Ellie Pipe

Read next:

• ‘Bad news’ for campaign to save Barton Hill’s last remaining pub
• Local couple fundraising to turn last remaining pub into community hub 
• New campaign hopes to reopen historic pub

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