A Nottingham pub is yet to be demolished months after plans for a new student block on the site were approved.
In October last year, developer East India Properties Ltd was given permission to build a six-storey accommodation building, providing 59 cluster and studio apartments on the site of the former Nottingham Legend pub.
Work to demolish the derelict building has yet to commence, with no sign of any progress at the site.
The beer garden area at the rear of the pub is overgrown with shrubbery, and the building itself remains boarded up.
Public opinion on the student block plans is divided, given the site’s history with ice hockey fans.
Richard Huggins, with 15 years’ service at Nottingham City Transport, said: “Back in the day it was really busy, especially with the Panthers.
“It isn’t really a good spot, but at the same time this is an area that has a lot of student apartments, so it is appropriate for the area.
“It is either one derelict building or student flats.”
Greta Stimson used to visit the pub around a decade ago before its closure.
“They used to do lovely dinners,” she said.
“It was very busy when the Panthers played. I think COVID-19 did a lot of damage. It finished a lot of places.
“But this is all they are building everywhere. They are not building flats for people because they can get more money from student accommodation. It’s all about money.”
Catherine Kerr, who also lives in the city, added: “The whole city is run by students; where do families who have children go?
“They have been run out of town. There need to be more places for families to go, particularly for entertainment, that are affordable, especially now pubs are closing.”
Plans for the ex-boozer date back as far as 2021, when proposals for a five-storey, 40-bed student block were approved.
The original proposals had been tabled by Punch Pubs and Co.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) tried to halt the application by sending a formal complaint to Nottingham City Council three hours before a planning meeting in July that year.
CAMRA said closing the Nottingham Legend would “create a pub desert in that part of the city centre”.
However, those plans failed to materialise and the pub continued to operate until 2023.
The building has been derelict ever since.
The developer does not have publicised contact details and was unable to be contacted.
